‘PM was laughing shamelessly, joking’: Rahul Gandhi slams Parliament speech
Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speech in Parliament. The Congress MP said, "the PM was joking and mocking" while the question was about Manipur violence.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speech in Parliament on Thursday, saying that "the PM was joking and mocking" while the Lok Sabha was discussing the Manipur violence.
"Yesterday, the PM spoke in Parliament for about 2 hours and 13 minutes. In the end, he spoke on Manipur for 2 minutes. Manipur has been burning for months, people are being killed, and rapes are happening, but the PM was laughing, cracking jokes. It doesn't suit him," Rahul Gandhi said.
Addressing a press conference in New Delhi, he said, "The Indian Army can stop this nonsense in two days but, the PM wants to burn Manipur and does not want to extinguish the fire."
Responding to the PM's remarks referring to the "no-confidence motion in 2028", Gandhi said, the question was not whether PM Modi will become PM in 2024, but was Manipur, where children and people are being killed.
"The (PM's) speech wasn't about India, it was about Narendra Modi. He was talking about his views, his politics and his ambitions. The question is not about him becoming the PM in 2024, the question is that Manipur is burning," Rahul said.
"The PM at least could go to Manipur, talk to communities and say I am your PM, let's start talking, but I don't see any intention," the Congress MP said.
He further said that the PM has "multiple instruments in his hands", but he is not using them to end the violence.
"There is no dialogue in Manipur, there is pure violence taking place in Manipur. The first step is to stop violence and put an end to it. He is not doing anything and he is laughing," Rahul Gandhi said.
Commenting on the suspension of Opposition MPs from Parliament, he said, "Our job will not change even if they (government) suspend MPs. Our job is to stop the violence in Manipur".
Reacting to the Congress leader’s remarks, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said, “Rahul Gandhi says that the Indian Army should finish the Meitei-Kuki conflict in 24 hours. He doesn't understand the consequences of a full-scale military operation or it reflects his mentality.”
He compared how the northeast was treated by the previous government with the treatment received under the PM Modi government. “Congress government had bombed Mizoram using the Indian Air Force in 1966. PM Narendra Modi says 'North-East is a piece of our heart',” Kiren Rijiju said.
PM MODI'S SPEECH IN LOK SABHA
Replying to the no-confidence motion in Parliament on Thursday, Prime Minister Modi attacked the Opposition, saying that "Congress has tried to launch the same failed product again and again."
"By 2028, when the Opposition brings another no-confidence motion against my government, India will be among the top 3 economies in the world," he said.
On Manipur, the PM said, "I want to assure the people of Manipur - the country stands with you, this Parliament is with you. Manipur will emerge from this conflict and soon march on the path of development and progress. It will see peace again."
