Congress leader and Wayanad MP Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Manipur and accused the BJP of setting the state and the country on fire with its politics of “hate and division” in Lok Sabha during the second day of the no-confidence debate. 

Late at night, Gandhi’s remarks relating to “Bharat Mata in Manipur”, which he made in the Lok Sabha while giving speech, were expunged from House records on the orders of the Chair, reported The Indian Express.

The Congress MP also equated PM Modi to Ravana. “If the PM does not listen to Manipur, whom does he listen to? He only listens to two people. Like Ravana only listened to Meghanad and Kumbhakarna, our Prime Minister only listens to Amit Shah and Ambani,” he said.

Also Read: ‘Modi like Ravana, murdered India in Manipur’: 5 big takeaways from Rahul Gandhi’s fiery speech in Lok Sabha | VIDEO

While addressing the Lok Sabha on the motion of no-confidence against the Modi government, Rahul accused the BJP-led government of refusing to deploy the Army in Manipur because it does not want to douse the violence in the strife-torn state.

Words that have been expunged

  • “You are throwing kerosene across the country … Aapne Manipur mein kerosene pheki aur phir chingari laga di. Ab aap Haryana mein kar rahe ho (You poured kerosene in Manipur and then you lit it … Now you are doing it in Haryana). You are burning the entire country. You are… (word expunged) Bharat Mata across the country.”
  • “Bharat is a voice. Bharat is the voice of our people … voice from the heart … you have … (word expunged) that voice in Manipur, which means you have … (expunged) Bharat Mata in Manipur,” he said.
  • Aap… (expunged) ho, aap desh bhakt nahin ho … Aap desh premi nahin ho, aap … (expunged) ho, aapne desh ki … (expunged) Manipur mein ki hai (You are … you are not patriots, you do not love the country, you are … you have… the country in Manipur),” he said, triggering an uproar in the BJP benches.
  • “You are not the saviours of Bharat Mata .. you are the … (expunged) of Bharat Mata … I am talking about the … (expunged) of my mother. I am talking with respect. You have … (expunged) my mother. One mother (pointing to Sonia Gandhi who was seated in the front row) of mine is sitting here, and you have… (expunged) the other in Manipur … every day, till you stop violence, you are… (expunged) my mother.”
  • I went to Manipur some days ago. Your … (expunged) has not gone so far… I used the word Manipur… but the reality is there is no Manipur left. Manipur you have divided, broken Manipur in two parts,” he said.

Also Read: No-confidence motion Live Updates: Day 3 of no-trust vote debate in Parliament, PM Modi to reply today

BJP has sought apology from Congress, holding the grand-old party accountable for insurgency and other problems in the North-East. Union Minister Kiren Rijiju also sought apology from Gandhi for his remarks.

‘Denigrating Parliament’

Criticising the decision of to expunge several remarks made by party MP Rahul Gandhi, the Congress on Wednesday accused the government of “denigrating” Parliament.

Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said “I raised the issue in the House today… what is happening… all this is gross injustice to us… the government is denigrating Parliament, its prestige and majesty.”

He further added that he would urge the Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to restore the expunged remarks, and would also raise the issue in the House on Thursday.