Indian PM Narendra Modi said on Thursday that his government will leave no stone unturned in getting Manipur back on the track of development.
Modi’s record-breaking two hours and 13-minute address came in response to the no-confidence motion introduced against his government by Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi over the Manipur violence.
Manipur Will See a New Dawn
“Many families are facing difficulties. Many have lost their kin, and heinous crimes have been committed against women,” the Indian PM said in reference to the violence in Manipur, which began in the first week of May.
He assured the Lok Sabha (House of the People) that the central and state governments were addressing the situation, and that Manipur would “see a new dawn.”
पीएम मोदी बोले- देश मणिपुर के साथ, शांति जल्द pic.twitter.com/9Yb6GQgDPq
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) August 11, 2023
The Indian PM remarked, “I assure the people of Manipur, the mothers and daughters of Manipur, that the nation stands by them and the House stands with them.”
“Crimes against women are unacceptable and the Central Government and the State Government will work to ensure that the guilty are punished,” Modi said.
The issue has rocked the Parliament since a 4 May video of two Kuki women being paraded naked on the streets surfaced last month.
Congress Responsible for Manipur
Blaming the opposition for not being interested in discussing the Manipur situation, Modi claimed that Home Minister Amit Shah explained the issues in great detail with patience and without any politics.
The PM reiterated that the situation in Manipur is being presented in a way that the conflict arose only recently.
He added that although the High Court’s verdict granting Meiteis’ Scheduled Tribes status was the immediate trigger, Congress was the root cause of all issues in Manipur.
Modi listed several incidences of extremist activities in the state during the Congress rule to corroborate his point.
Development in North-East First Priority
Modi said that movements in the global system will bring change in South-East Asia, which will, in turn, impact the northeast parts of India.
“That is why,” the PM went on, “Our government has given first priority to the development of the Northeast.”
Furthermore, the PM highlighted the current government’s investments in the infrastructure in the Northeast.
“We must empathize with the pain and suffering and do our best for recovery. This is the way forward,” the PM appealed.
No-Confidence Motion
The Parliament witnessed serious discussions over Manipur for three days after the No-Confidence Motion was introduced on Tuesday.
On Wednesday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi attacked the government and accused it of dividing Manipur.
#WATCH | Congress MPs Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi leave Parliament after opposition MPs staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha during PM Modi's speech on the no-confidence motion. pic.twitter.com/jaxp5dm7zt
— ANI (@ANI) August 10, 2023
At the climax, the motion was defeated in a voice vote called by the Speaker in the Lok Sabha after the PM’s speech. However, much of the opposition walked out before the vote towards the end of Modi’s address, accusing him of taking political tones in his speech.
The opposition had introduced the motion of no confidence as the Indian PM had maintained 78 days of silence before making his first remarks on the ethnic violence in Manipur, where clashes broke out between the Kukis and Meteis in May, following a court order that asked the government to consider the Scheduled Tribe Status for the Meteis.