Lok Sabha resumed discussion on the No Confidence Motion on the second day, today. Participating in the discussion, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accused the Government of dividing Manipur. He questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited Manipur so far. He also accused BJP of acting against the interest of the country. Mr. Rahul talked about his visit to a relief camp in Manipur saying women had to face atrocities during the violence in the State. He questioned why the Government is not deploying the Army in Manipur to restore normalcy. When Mr. Gandhi was speaking the House witnessed heated arguments between the Opposition and Treasury bench members and also slogans and counter slogans.
Intervening in the debate, Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani stressed that Manipur is an integral part of India and it was not divided and will never be divided. She alleged that Congress ran away from the discussion on Manipur in the House despite the Government’s readiness to have a discussion on this issue. She accused Congress of being a mute spectator when women had to face atrocities in Jammu and Kashmir in the past. She also talked about the abrogation of article 370 saying it has ensured justice to women in the UT. She also attacked Congress for corruption in the UPA regime. The Minister targeted Mr. Gandhi saying that India believes in merit, not in dynasty. The Minister listed out several initiatives of the Government including the Swachh Bharat Mission, the Mudra loan scheme, Stand-up India, and the construction of toilets and tap water connections to ease the lives of common people. Ram Kripal Yadav of BJP questioned the recently formed Opposition alliance I.N.D.I.A, alleging that this is a group of people who are involved in corrupt practices, promoting nepotism and appeasement. He also criticised the Bihar government saying that the Opposition is being targeted for raising the issue of public interest and there is an atmosphere of fear in Bihar. He said, incidents of crime have increased under the Nitish Kumar government.
