Manipur violence: What did we hear from PM Modi?

For more than three months Manipur has been burning. It is common knowledge that when violence continues unabated in a place for more than 48 hours one has to understand that there must be some state indulgence in it. The complicity of the Biren Singh government in the present turmoil in Manipur is well-known.

The role of the central government is also questionable. Prime Minister Naredndra Modi was silent on Manipur till the other day. It seems Manipur is not a matter of concern for him.   He has not engaged himself with the matters of Manipur. The Prime Minister hasn’t visited the trouble-torn state yet. Naturally Manipur was the first thing on the agenda of the opposition parties, particularly for the INDIA alliance in the monsoon session of the parliament. They wished to raise the issue of Manipur first day in both the houses.

They also wanted PM Modi to come to parliament and speak his mind on Manipur when the state was passing through a most critical time in history. But the prime minister decided to ignore the call of the opposition and was avoiding attending the parliament. This created an impasse in the functioning of the parliament. The opposition was adamant.  They were not ready to allow any discussion on any other issue if Manipur was not discussed. The government was also unrelenting.

Here opposition played a trick. Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi brought in a no confidence motion against the government on Manipur. The motion was accepted by the House. The opposition knew that it didn’t have number to win the no confidence motion. But they also knew that this would compel the prime minister to come to the parliament and speak on the no confidence motion.

While participating in the debates on the no confidence motion, the opposition MPs not only spoke about the violence and lawlessness in Manipur, they also cornered the treasury bench on many other issues. From Congress Rahul Gandhi and Gaurav Gogoi spoke eloquently about the violence in Manipur and the inaction of the government in bringing the situation under control. Other opposition leaders also participated in the debates and spoke spiritedly about the failures of the government.

When it came to the ruling party to respond to the charges and allegations of the opposition, the debates took a completely different turn. The ruling party ministers and MPs solely took to whataboutery. Instead of attending to the specific charges of the opposition, they brought in counter allegations and charges against the opposition, particularly against the Congress. They indulged in all sorts of ridicule and buffoonery in their speeches. Then, everyone was waiting for the prime minister to speak on the no confidence motion.

Before we discuss PM Modi’s speech let us neutrally see what is happening in Manipur. There is no denying that Manipur is reeling under violence for more than three months now. Forget what the opposition leaders were saying about Manipur; remember what the   Supreme Court said about it.  It censured the central government for its failure to contain the violence and disturbance in Manipur.

The other day when the no confidence motion against the government was being debated in the parliament, the SC appointed former Mumbai police Commissioner Dattatray Padsalgikar to be the overall monitor of CBI probe into the instances of sexual violence in Manipur. It also appointed a three-member committee of former High Court Judges to look into the humanitarian aspects.  So there is no doubt that the situation in Manipur is appalling.

It is appalling not because the allegations have come from the Congress and other members of INDIA alliance. That it is bad is a reality. Now let us come to the   prime minister’s speech. PM Modi entered the parliament heroically amid the sloganeering of his colleagues. He delivered a long speech of more than two hours on the no confidence motion.  But what did he speak? He hardly spoke about Manipur.

In his entire speech Modi spoke on Manipur only for one and half minutes. In the rest of the time he indulged in self-praise and ridiculed and laughed at the opposition, particularly the Congress. The tone, tenor and theme of his speech were unbecoming of a prime minister. When we were listening to his speech we were confused whether we were listening to a speech delivered by some fringe elements of the BJP or by our prime minister! Or did he use the language of the BJP troll army? The true colors have come out and the writings on the walls are clear.