New Delhi, Aug 10 (FN Agency) Asserting that efforts are being made by the Centre as well as the Manipur government to restore peace in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday expressed confidence that the initiatives will bear results and normalcy would be restored soon in the state which has been in turmoil for over three months. He assured people in Manipur that the entire Parliament is with them and said that the state will soon be back on the path of development. Modi was replying to a debate on the No-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha brought by the opposition, which was not present in the House when the Prime Minister spoke on Manipur as they had walked out minutes earlier. He took a dig at opposition members saying that they first raise the question but don’t have capacity and patience to listen to the answers.
The Motion was later defeated by voice vote in the absence of the opposition. During his over two-hour long speech, Modi spoke on various issues and sought to turn the table on the opposition while blaming Congress, particularly its leaders and former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Indira Gandhi for the festering problems ailing not only Manipur but the entire North East. The PM said that Congress and its politics were responsible for the problems in the North East. He listed several incidents of violence in the past in the region and put the blame squarely on the grand old party. Modi took a swipe at the opposition and said that their pain is selective. “Their pain is selective. They cannot think beyond politics,” he said. Using the no-confidence motion brought against his government, Modi said that the opposition bloc takes pleasure in spreading negativity about the country and asserted that his government was on track to make a hat-trick by returning to power in 2024. He also sought to bring out contradictions in the newly-minted I.N.D.I.A. alliance led by Congress and said that all the leaders in the grouping are aspiring to be the prime minister.
The PM termed I.N.D.I.A. alliance as Ghamandiya (arrogant). Modi remained in attack mode throughout his speech amid sloganeering by opposition parties and walkout. He highlighted the achievements of his government in areas such as banking, infrastructure and social welfare. Modi cited reports from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and government think-tank NITI Aayog to state that the country has reduced poverty. The PM reiterated that India will be the third largest economy in the world during his third term. He said that when the opposition will bring the next No-confidence motion in 2028 India will become the third largest economy in the world. He accused the opposition parties of tarnishing the image of the country on global platforms but added that people will not be misled by it. Modi saidhe has given a scam-free government at the Centre. Without naming Rahul Gandhi, he launched a scathing attack on him saying that a ‘failed product is being launched again and again’.
The PM said that the opposition had been saying bad things about the country’s banking system, aerospace firm HAL and state-owned LIC but all of them have been scaling new heights. Taking Congress head-on, Modi said that the country had no confidence in the party and state after state was rejecting it. He said that as and when Congress and its allies brought no-trust votes against his government, the BJP only performed better in subsequent elections. The Prime Minister said that the opposition had a ‘secret power’, as a result of which, if they wish bad, it turns into blessings instead for the rivals. Modi said that he himself is the shining example of it. The PM said that the opposition parties had used all kinds of abuses and unparliamentary words for him but he has turned them into ‘tonic’.