It took over 20 minutes for Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in his roughly 37-minute-long Parliament speech to come to the point. Back from suspension a day ago, Rahul spoke in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday during the debate on the no-confidence motion brought by the Opposition to corner the government on the issue of Manipur.
Much of Rahul’s address – preceded by the hype around his ‘comeback’ – was based on his experiences, even metaphysical enlightening, during his Bharat Jodo Yatra that ended six months and two Parliament sessions ago.
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Rahul is not an exception among leaders from the 26-party INDIA Opposition bloc who have spoken in the Lok Sabha on the no-confidence motion moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi so far. Barely a handful of Opposition members laid adequate emphasis on the Manipur issue which stalled Parliament proceedings for much of the Monsoon Session of Parliament. A majority only made a fleeting mention.
Manipur Sidelined?
For parties that accorded Manipur such importance that they would settle for nothing less than a statement from the Prime Minister in both Houses of Manipur, their own treatment of Manipur during the no-trust vote debate falls short of expectations.
If the Centre’s failure on national security, economic development, communal harmony, independence of institutions and foreign policy was the highlight of Congress MP Manish Tewari’s address, DMK’s TR Baalu used the opportunity to highlight the “step-brotherly” treatment being meted out to Tamil Nadu.
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Sougata Roy of the Trinamool Congress, meanwhile, alleged that the government was trying to weaken state governments and added how West Bengal was a victim of Centre’s bias as the BJP failed to form a government in the state. “They have stopped all money for NREGA and for PM Awas Yojana,” he said.
While DMK MP Kanimojhi and Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi stood out on Day 1 of the debate for their unwavering focus on Manipur, Day 2 saw Rahul Gandhi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah raise the issue briefly.
Elections in Focus
The failure of the BJP governments at the Centre and in Manipur in controlling the violence that has continued for over three months makes it evidently clear that the party is on a weak footing, and would avoid acknowledging it to the extent possible. Incidents of sexual assault, and the government’s continued silence on the matter, only made it worse for the Modi government.
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Yet, the Opposition has failed to utilise the opportunity that the debate over the no-trust vote offered, where numbers are anyways stacked heavily in favour of the BJP. What it did not fail at was in ensuring that the I.N.D.I.A, short for the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance formed by 26 Opposition parties to contest the Lok Sabha elections unitedly, found a mention every few minutes.
And there was camaraderie on display as well. Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, for instance, was quick to point out every time that the Sansad TV camera panned away from DMK MP Kanimojhi during her address. When NDA MPs sought to corner Rahul Gandhi for his remarks, the entire Opposition stood up to raise slogans of ‘INDIA, INDIA’.
“BJP will lose and INDIA will win” was a refrain that was common among speakers from the Opposition bloc.
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Manipur Debate sets 2024 Narrative
The Manipur issue, which necessitated the no-confidence motion by the Opposition’s own admission, saw a range of issues being raised.
From the China border dispute to price rise, unemployment, the handling of the economy, misuse of investigative agencies, assault on federalism, women’s safety of women, wrestlers’ protests, farmers’ agitation, privatisation, weakening of institutions, disputes between governors and state governments in non-BJP ruled states to MGNREGA funds, the Opposition did not miss a chance to raise any and every issue it felt right.
Also Read: What is Sansad TV row which sparked outrage in Lok Sabha during no-confidence motion debate?
The focus of all these issues raised by the Opposition was on one thing and one thing alone – to highlight the alleged failures of the Narendra Modi government, even as the Manipur issue was relegated to the sidelines. The government, naturally so, listed the achievements of the government under PM Modi’s rule while pointing to the failures of the erstwhile UPA rule.
A debate necessitated by the travesty that Manipur has witnessed for the past three months turned out to be anything but that. The Opposition refuses to raise the issue adequately while the Centre defends listing out its achievements instead of speaking on Manipur, claiming that the Opposition refused a debate on the issue and brought a no-confidence motion instead.
The underlying tragedy is not the lost opportunity that the blame game between the government and the Opposition signals. It is the brazenness with which the Manipur issue is being used by either side to push their own narrative with an eye on the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
