Speaking for the first time on the ongoing ethnic clashes in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed deep anguish and anger over a viral video of two women being paraded naked by a mob in the North-eastern state and asserted that the guilty would not be spared.
”I want to assure the countrymen that no criminal will be spared. Law, with all its might, will take all possible steps. What has happened to the daughters of Manipur can never be forgiven,” he said about the incident that surfaced on social media, triggering a massive outrage across the country.
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Speaking to reporters ahead of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament, the PM said, “The incident that has come to the fore in Manipur is shameful for any civilised society. There are so many sinners…the whole country is feeling insulted, 140 crore countrymen are feeling ashamed.”
He urged the chief ministers to further strengthen the law and order machinery in their respective states and take the strictest possible steps to protect ”our mothers and sisters”.
Modi said such an incident, be it in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh or Manipur, must be taken seriously by any state government by rising above political considerations. His remarks came even as the Opposition insisted on a statement from the government over the ethnic clashes in Manipur which have been going on since early May.
Talking about the Parliament session, the PM made an appeal to all the political parties, and MPs to make full use of the proceedings and take forward the agenda of public welfare.
He said it was the responsibility of Parliament and every MP to enact laws. There should be discussions in Parliament so that decisions could be taken in the larger interest of the people. ”The honourable MPs understand the sorrows and pains of the people. And that’s why when there is a discussion, their views enrich the debates and the decisions taken thereafter are strong and result-oriented. The sharper the discussions, the better the decisions are,” he said.
Modi said the session was important in many ways because the Bills to be brought in the two Houses were directly related to the interests of the people. In this connection, he referred to the Data Protection Bill, which he said would give new confidence to every citizen of the country and enhance India’s prestige in the world.
“Today, when we are meeting in the holy month of Sawan in this temple of democracy…I am confident that all the MPs together, will use this opportunity for the maximum welfare of people and carry out their responsibilities as MPs,” he said.