"BJP's politics murdered India in Manipur": Rahul on no-confidence motion

During the ongoing discussion over the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday said the BJP's politics has "murdered India in Manipur" while sharing the ordeal of the two women he met during his visit to the northeastern state.

"BJP's politics has murdered our country in Manipur. They have killed India in Manipur. They have murdered India in Manipur," said Gandhi, adding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state till date.

Speaking in favour of the no-confidence motion, he launched a scathing attack on the BJP. "You are not saviours of Bharat Mata (mother India). You are killers of Bharat Mata (mother India)."

He said while referring to his interaction with two women in Manipur in the relief camps during his visit.

The Congress leader said that a few days ago he went to Manipur, while our Prime Minister has not gone, because for him Manipur is not India.

"I used the Manipur word, but today's truth is that Manipur is no more as it has been divided into two and you have broken it. I visited relief camps in Manipur and spoke to women there," he said, with disruption from the Treasury Bench members.

He continued speaking and said, "I went to Manipur and spoke to women, children there, which our Prime Minister has not done so far. I spoke to a woman and asked what happened to you, she said I had only one child and in front of my eyes he was killed after being shot. For the whole night, I slept with the dead body of my son. And then I feared and then I left my phone and the entire thing."

"I asked her, you must have carried something. She replied, "only the clothes which I am wearing and a photograph which is with me are mine," he said.

Sharing another example of his interaction, Rahul Gandhi said, "In another relief camp, I spoke to a woman and asked her what happened to you, and she in a fraction of second was shivering as she imagined the pain and fell unconscious."

He said that PM Modi's "arrogance was burning India like Ravana's arrogance got Lanka burned".

"If we want to hear the voice of people, we will have to crush our arrogance as Ravana was not killed by Lord Ram but his arrogance got him killed and in the same manner Prime Minister Narendra Modi's arrogance is burning the whole country."

He said that it was not Lord Hanuman who burned Lanka, but it was arrogance of Ravana that got the Lanka destroyed. "Now you will ask why you kept this in no-confidence motion? Because if we have to listen to the voice of India then we have to remove the hatred," Rahul Gandhi explained.

Targeting the Prime Minister, Rahul Gandhi said, "When I said that India is a voice of people, the heart, that voice has been murdered in India. It means Bharat Mata has been killed in Manipur. By killing the people of Manipur you have murdered Manipur. You are anti-national as you have killed Bharat Mata (mother India).

"And it is the reason why your Prime Minister cannot go to Manipur as he has killed India in Manipur and in the hearts of the people of Manipur," he said. He also said, "You (BJP) have killed Bharat Mata in Manipur and till the time you don't stop voilence you are murdering India.

"The armed forces can bring normalcy in one day but you are not using it as you want to kill India in Manipur. If Modi cannot listen to the hearts of people of India...," he said.

"Lanka was not burned by Lord Hanuman but it was burned by the arrogance of Ravana. Ram did not kill Ravana but the arrogance of Ravana killed him. You are throwing kerosene in entire India. You threw kerosene in Manipur and then you ignited it. Now you are doing that in Haryana. You are trying to burn entire India and you are trying to kill India," Rahul Gandhi added.

(With inputs from IANS)