It would be a simplistic evaluation to describe Rahul Gandhi’s 9 August 2023 speech on the non-trust motion in Lok Sabha as merely tearing into Narendra Modi’s style of governance. No amount of class theatrics and master oratory would be able to eradicate the imprint that Rahul managed to create in the minds of the people of India through his speech.
An insight into what Rahul said would make it abundantly clear that it was not merely a legislative speech opposing Modi; instead Rahul coming out with his scathing indictment just a few months ahead of Lok Sabha election, succeeded in setting an entirely new narrative, which is an absolute contrast from Modi’s self-glorifying rhetoric. In the process, Rahul has pushed Modi and his lieutenants in the ruling regime to adopt an inauthentic defensive stance. Even Modi’s second-in-command, Union Home Minister Amit Shah found it difficult to counter the denunciations from Rahul.
It was expected of Shah that he would tear apart Rahul’s charges; but his speech proved to be drudging and nothing more than tautology. Modi, throughout his near-decade in power has assiduously tried to reduce nationalism to the petty politics of a Hindu identity and make his government and the BJP synonymous with the spirit. In fact, his attempt has been to invoke an idea of a pseudo-autochthonous ‘Bharatiya nationalism’ as a poor substitute for the secular, inclusive ‘idea of India’. However, in Lok Sabha on 9 August, Modi had to face the accusation of being the “murderer of Bharat Mata” from none other than Rahul Gandhi. No one, not even Amit Shah, had expected this nature of scathing attack from Rahul. Shah cut a sorry figure as he could not find a suitable narrative to defend his political mentor. He hedged around the weeds of the past incidents to prove his loyalty.
It was undoubtedly the most inauspicious day for Modi, who during his ten years of rule, had completely marginalised his opponents and made them crawl. He would not have imagined that in a single stroke, the man whom he had labelled the “Pappu of Indian politics”, would bring him down on his knees. Accusing Modi of “murdering Hindustan in Manipur” through divisive politics, Rahul wrecked Modi’s claim of being a nationalist with the simple observation: “Aap deshbhakt nahin ho. Aap deshdrohi ho! (You are not a patriot. You are a traitor!).”
Rahul said: “Manipur has ceased to exist. You have broken it. You divided the state. Inhone Manipur mein Hindustan ki hatya ki hai. Hindustan ka qatl kiya hai (These people have murdered Hindustan in Manipur).” Though he was on his feet for only 11 minutes on the floor of Lok Sabha speaking on no trust, the systematic interruption from the treasury benches, especially from the senior ministers, Rahul could barely speak for 7 minutes.
But in his, probably the shortest, speech, Rahul pulled off the nationalist mask of Modi and his ominous design to pit Bharat against India. While the Congress had tabled the no-trust motion to force Modi break his mysterious silence on Manipur over the last three months, his senior minister Kiren Rijiju created uproar, recalling the “atrocities” in the Northeast during Congress rule. The BJP leaders resorted to every tactics to derail the discussion, but failed miserably.
Though Amit Shah as the Union Home Minister used his so-called Chanakya-like skill to defend Modi and his functioning, it was insipid and full of easily perforated lies. He arrogantly justified Modi government’s actions in Manipur and gave a half-baked account of how the crisis had built up and what the government had done to bring the situation under control. In fact, he failed to put on record why he as the Union home minister remained unsuccessful in bringing the Meitei and Kukis to the negotiating table, or, what steps he had taken to diffuse the crisis during these three months, and why his attempts didn’t bear any fruits.
Of course, Shah trained his guns on the opposition and the no-confidence motion, saying: “The violence in Manipur is shameful. But what is more shameful is doing politics over it.” However, he did not clarify the primary reason for Prime Minister Modi to not visit Manipur since the violene erupted in Manipur three months back in early May. Like Modi, he too lied to the people of India as well as to Manipur by saying that the government has been working hard to ameliorate the situation. In fact, his remark that the video of the Kuki women stripped of clothes and paraded naked by an assaulting mob had become public meant that there was a sinister conspiracy behind it, adding that it was highly suspicious that the video which had been made in May had become public only one day before Parliament’s monsoon session was scheduled, underlines his attempt to suppress the ongoing genocide. If he was really concerned of the welfare of the people of Manipur, he should have lauded the whistleblower who made the video public. But no, he was scared of the national consequences of the saffron ecosystem doing its fine work setting Manipur on fire getting exposed.
It boggles the mind how Shah could ignore the statement of his chum, Chief Minister Biren Singh, given at least a month back, that May 4 heinous crime was not the only incident, and that many such criminal incidents had taken place. As the Union home minister, it was Shah’s duty to inform the nation that how many women were violated, raped and tortured in Manipur, and take corrective measures accordingly. He should also have told India, why women have long been the vulnerable targets of the violent Hindu mercenaries and bigots.
Shah was non-committal, and it looked like a ploy to conceal hard facts. His insistence that the falling death toll indicated that the violence had come down sharply is revealing. Does not it underline that he expected more people to have been killed? According to the Home Ministry figures, in May 107 people died in clashes with rival tribes or the police. Shah said this fell to 30 in June and 15 in July. Shah added that out of the 107 people killed in May, 68 died in the first three days after the clashes began. Said Shah: “What I want to say here is that violence is reducing gradually and we should not add fuel to the fire.” He ought to have felt ashamed at persistence of the murderous spree still continuing.
To portray the image of Modi as a ruler concerned of the plights of his people, Shah came out with the story: “The Prime Minister had called me at 4 in the night and also woken me up at 6.30 the following day.” This simply means even though PM Modi had comprehended the intensity of the crisis, but even then he did not take serious steps to end the crisis. Probably he wanted to ascertain whether saffron supporters were the victims. Shah did not tell Lok Sabha what was Narendra Modi doing when Manipur was burning?
Shah ruling out removal of Biren Singh as the Manipur chief minister on the premise that he has cooperated with every decision of the Centre after the state plunged into turmoil on May 3 is also suspicious and downright unacceptable, especially in the backdrop of his confession that hundreds of May 4 incidents of rape and torture of women had taken place in the state.
Finding a root of the present crisis in the incidents which took place many decades back, or in the 2021 military coup in Myanmar — with which Manipur shares a 1,623km-long border — is purely an attempt to fool the people. Ironically, Shah did not reveal what was the reason for Manipur police filing an FIR against the paramilitary force, Assam Rifles. The Manipur police had accused the Assam Rifles of blocking the way of police teams in pursuit of suspected Kuki militants involved in the killing of three Meitei men on Saturday morning at Kwatka in Bishnupur district.
This stand of the Manipur police strengthens the apprehension that RSS and BJP have communalised the state police, which is why they were averse to step in and restore peace. In fact, the Manipur police has been accomplishing the task of RSS and BJP to ethnically cleanse the Kukis and force them to convert to Hinduism. For decades, the RSS has been striving to finish off the Kukis and a BJP government in power is the most effective tool to give shape to their nefarious design. For obvious reasons, the BJP government did not intend to fret the state police.
The Indian Army has said: “some inimical elements have made desperate, repeated and failed attempts to question the role, intent and integrity” of the central security forces, especially the Assam Rifles, working relentlessly towards saving lives and restoring peace in Manipur.” The Assam Rifles is a paramilitary force commanded by officers of the Indian Army.
Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jawhar Sircar tweeted: “What on earth is going on in the Narendra Modi government? (Defence minister) Rajnath Singh’s Army Headquarters condemns the attempt to malign Assam Rifles for saving victims of majoritarian Manipur government — which is directly under the control of Amit Shah.”
The Manipur police has demanded for withdrawal of Assam Rifles at the demand of the Meira Paibis (Meitei women torch-bearers) and the Manipur BJP. They had demanded the removal of the Assam Rifles from Manipur for, among other reasons, allegedly favouring the Kukis. The Indian Army statement said two instances had emerged over the past 24 hours aimed at “maligning” the Assam Rifles. It also said: “misunderstandings at the functional level are immediately addressed through the joint mechanism to synergize the efforts for restoration of peace and normalcy in Manipur.”
In his address, Shah pointed to the fact that 36,000 army personnel had been positioned in different parts of the state and Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had been stationed in Manipur for over 20 days. Ironically, in spite of Rai’s presence, such nasty incidents are taking place. This obviously implies lack of concern for the Kukis, the victims.
One thing is absolutely clear. Rahul has put his fingers on the nerves of Shah and Modi government. Rahul said: “Aapke Pradhan Mantri Manipur nahin ja sakte. Aapne Bharat Mata ki hatya Manipur mein ki. Aapne Manipiur ke logo ko maar kar Bharat ki hatya ki hai. Meri ek Ma yahan baithi hai. Dusri Ma ko inhone Manipur mein mara hai (Your Prime Minister cannot go to Manipur. You have killed Bharat Mata in Manipur. By killing the people of Manipur, you have killed Bharat. My one mother is sitting here. My other mother was killed in Manipur).”
By claiming that what happened in Manipur was an attack on India and was an anti-national act, Rahul appeared to be trying to expose what many perceive as the hollowness of the RSS-BJP’s nationalism. Rahul hinted that Modi was not concerned about the pain and miseries of the people of Manipur because he didn’t understand the true import of Bharat Mata. But like his boss, Shah was more obsessed with dynastic politics rather than seriously striving to bring peace to the state, which he will no do as it would be like putting a fetter on RSS and Hindu mercenaries. (IPA Service)
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