PM Modi’s Peace Assurance For Manipur And A 2028 Prediction For Opposition
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s response to the No-Confidence Motion in parliament this afternoon was a virtual campaign speech scourging the Opposition — crashing their hopes of cornering him and compelling him to speak on violence-hit Manipur. After more than an hour, when the Opposition bloc INDIA walked out, PM Modi said Union Home Minister Amit Shah has already explained all about Manipur, but the Opposition only wanted to “play politics”.
“I want to tell the mothers and sisters of Manipur that the country and the parliament are with you. I want to assure the people of Manipur that we will work to develop Manipur,” he said.
But he blamed the Opposition for the events in Manipur, saying it was the result of Congress politics. Starting with Ram Manohar Lohia’s censure for Jawaharlal Nehru over his northeast policy, he traced it to the separatist movements in several northeastern states.
Such No-Confidence Motions are “lucky” for him, PM Modi said, for these turn out to be a test of the Opposition. The people judge them and return the BJP to power with a bigger mandate.
“Whichever institution they speak against, their luck turns around… You have decided that NDA and BJP will return with a record mandate,” he said.
Recalling the last No-Confidence Motion moved by Chandrababu Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party in 2018, PM Modi said: “Even then I had said, the motion is not a floor test of our government but theirs… When voting happened, they fell short… When we went to the public, the people announced their no-confidence in them. The NDA and BJP got more votes. In a way, the Opposition No-Confidence Motion is a good omen for us”.
He predicted another No-Confidence Motion in 2028, which, he said, will pave the way for victory in 2029. “But make sure you are better prepared,” he said.
In a speech peppered with jabs at the Opposition, PM Modi said they had “betrayed” the people by not allowing any discussion to take place on important bills in the monsoon session. They have shown that for them, “dal” (party) is bigger than “desh” (the country). The Opposition, he said, is bowling a series of “no-balls” from which the government is scoring sixes.
“Their favourite slogan is Modi Teri Kabr Khudegi (your grave will be dug). But for me, their abuse and unparliamentary words are like tonic. I believe the Opposition has received a secret boon — anyone they speak against end up flourishing. I am an example,” he said.