India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi slams Modi government’s inaction on Manipur violence
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Mr Rahul Gandhi's address was part of a no-confidence debate against the Modi government over the Manipur violence.
PHOTO: AFP
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NEW DELHI - India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inaction over deadly ethnic conflict
He made the comments during his first parliamentary speech since his defamation conviction was suspended.
Mr Modi’s administration is being forced this week to defend its conduct over violence in Manipur state that has killed at least 120 people.
Mr Gandhi’s fiery address to the Chamber was part of a no-confidence debate
“You are throwing kerosene in the whole country. You threw kerosene in Manipur, and lit a spark,” Mr Gandhi said, with cheers from supporters and jeers from rival lawmakers.
“You’re set on burning the whole country. You are killing Mother India,” he added.
Mr Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is regularly accused by opponents of fomenting divisions for electoral purposes.
India will hold general elections in early 2024.
The ruling BJP has a large majority in the 543-member Lower House. It is expected to comfortably defeat the no-confidence vote, which it has dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick.
“India’s army can bring in peace in one day, but you’re not using it,” Mr Gandhi told fellow lawmakers.
“If Modi doesn’t listen to the voice of India, then whose voice does he listen to?“
‘Broken’
Government minister Smriti Irani refuted Mr Gandhi’s allegations, saying the party was always ready to discuss the Manipur issue in Parliament.
“They ran away from the discussion, not us,” Ms Irani said.
“Rahul Gandhi said kerosene has been poured all over the country. And where all did you go to find the matchbox, Rahul Gandhi?” she added.
Mr Gandhi is the scion of India’s premier political dynasty.
He was restored to Parliament on Monday
Mr Gandhi was sentenced to two years’ imprisonment in March
The 53-year-old is the son, grandson and great-grandson of three former prime ministers, beginning with independence leader Jawaharlal Nehru.
Congress was once India’s dominant political force, but Mr Gandhi has led it to two landslide defeats against the BJP, whose nationalistic politics appeal to the country’s Hindu majority.
Mr Gandhi and his allies are attempting to stitch together a grand coalition of smaller parties ahead of 2024’s national elections, in which Mr Modi will seek a third successive term.
At least 120 people have been killed in Manipur since May in armed clashes between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community.
The state has fractured on ethnic lines, with rival militias setting up blockades to keep out members of the opposing community.
Soldiers have been rushed in from other parts of India to contain the violence, and a curfew and Internet shutdown remain in force across most of the state.
Mr Gandhi accused the government of having “broken” Manipur “into two parts”, but Ms Irani responded by insisting that the state was “not divided”.
Mr Modi has been criticised by opponents for taking more than two months from when clashes began to speak about the conflict.
The no-confidence debate is scheduled to conclude on Thursday after a speech by the Prime Minister. AFP
