BJP's politics 'murdered Bharat Mata' in Manipur: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha

While participating in the vote of no confidence in the Modi government on Wednesday, former Congress President Rahul Gandhi dipped into BJP’s symbols of political mobilization like Bharat Mata and Ramayana to launch a blistering attack on the NDA government for its alleged inaction in the violence-torn Manipur.

“Ram did not kill Ravana. But Ravana was killed by his arrogance. You are sprinkling kerosene in the entire country. You did it in Manipur and now you are doing the same in Haryana” the former Congress president said, initiating the discussion on day two of the three-day debate on no-trust motion moved by his party colleague Gaurav Gogoi.

Congress leaders alleged the ruling dispensation could have stopped the violence in the Northeastern state if it had the intent. 

“Manipur resonates the voice of India, you have (silenced) the voice of India, the voice of Bharat Mata … My mother is sitting here. But in Manipur, my other mother, Bharat Mata is silenced,” Gandhi said. Sonia Gandhi was present in the House as he spoke.

This was Rahul’s maiden speech after his Lok Sabha membership was reinstated earlier this week by a court order that suspended his conviction in the Modi surname case.

In his 30-minute address punctuated by interruptions by the treasury benches, Rahul cited his conversation with women in relief camps during his visit to the state last month. 

“I spoke to a woman and asked her what happened; she said her young son was shot in front of her eyes. She said she laid with his body the whole night, and then escaped. When I asked her if she got anything, she said all she had was the clothes she was wearing and a photo of her son,” Gandhi said. 

 Referring to his last speech in the House before he lost his membership in the House for 136 days, Gandhi said that his reference to Adani might have “hurt many people”. 

“So I apologise…today I want to tell my friends in the BJP that there is no reason to be scared today as my main speech will not be around Adani,” Gandhi said. 

 “Ravana would listen to only two people – Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. Modiji, too, listens to two people – Adani and Amit Shah,” Gandhi added. 

Indicating that he may soon embark on the next phase of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, Rahul said “many people asked why I walked; I did not know then but I soon understood the thing that I love and the thing for which I am willing to die and go to Modi ji’s jail, the thing for which I bore abuse for 10 years,” he said.

Gandhi was the first speaker on the second day of the no-confidence motion brought up by Congress’s deputy leader Gaurav Gogoi, who initiated the debate on Tuesday. Prime Minister Modi will speak on the motion of no confidence on Thursday after which the motion will be put to vote.