Editor's Pick: PM talks Manipur peace, attacks Congress

Replying to the debate on the no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured the people of Manipur of peace, while alleging that the State’s problems were rooted in previous Congress regimes. The government won the no-confidence motion even as the Opposition walked out briefly, saying that even 90 minutes into his speech, Mr. Modi did not address the issue of Manipur. Well before debate, the odds for the no-confidence motion had been heavily stacked in favour of the government. Mr. Modi did pivot to Manipur. Terming the violent crimes recorded against women in the State unacceptable, he said Central and State governments were working together to punish the guilty. While assuring people that peace, development and healing would be restored to Manipur, Mr. Modi trained his sights on previous Congress regimes as being the originators of many of the problems which flared up now. Calling it a time when Manipur was “consumed in the conflagration of insurgency,” he said that late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi bombed Mizoram in 1966 with the IAF, and in 1984 deployed the military against the Akal Takht. He enumerated the development work done by the current BJP-led government, saying it had made bombs and blockades a thing of the past. INDIA members continued to protest as Mr. Modi spoke; he called their alliance “ghamandia [arrogant]”, in a play on the bloc’s name, and alleged that they refused to discuss Manipur for their political ends, even though Home Minister Amit Shah was prepared to do so. Mr. Modi’s address did not leave regional and socialist parties aligned with the INDIA bloc unscathed; about the latter, he said that their ideological mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia, said Nehru was “deliberately keeping back the northeast,” calling it a “careless and dangerous thing to keep 30,000 square miles of territory in a cold storage.” As he wound up his speech he said no-confidence motions brought him luck- the last one in 2018 had seen the NDA return with a bigger majority- and asked the Opposition to “try again in 2028.” Notably, in 2018, he had similarly said there ought to be another no-confidence motion against his government in 2023. The ethnic violence in Manipur has dominated the Parliament’s monsoon session, but little debate has transpired. In the Rajya Sabha, it has been all but lost in a maze of rules. In the Lok Sabha, it largely came to the fore during the debate on the no-confidence motion. The Hindu’s Editorials Risky recourse: On the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee and policy rate Necessary intervention: On India’s conservation ethos The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The government of which of the following States was dismissed by Narasimha Rao’s government in 1992? Bihar Haryana Maharashtra Maharashtra To know the answer and to play the full quiz, click here. [logo] Editor's Pick 11 August 2023 [The Hindu logo] In the Editor's Pick newsletter, The Hindu explains why a story was important enough to be carried on the front page of today's edition of our newspaper. [Arrow]( [Open in browser]( [Mail icon]( [More newsletters]( PM talks Manipur peace, attacks Congress Replying to the debate on the no-trust motion in the Lok Sabha, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday assured the people of Manipur of peace, while alleging that the State’s problems were rooted in previous Congress regimes. The government won the no-confidence motion even as the Opposition walked out briefly, saying that even 90 minutes into his speech, Mr. Modi did not address the issue of Manipur. Well before debate, the odds for the no-confidence motion [had been heavily stacked in favour of the government](. Mr. Modi did pivot to Manipur. Terming [the violent crimes recorded against women in the State]( unacceptable, he said Central and State governments were working together to punish the guilty. While assuring people that peace, development and healing would be restored to Manipur, Mr. Modi trained his sights on previous Congress regimes as being the originators of many of the problems which flared up now. Calling it a time when Manipur was “consumed in the conflagration of insurgency,” he said that late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi bombed Mizoram in 1966 with the IAF, and in 1984 deployed the military against the Akal Takht. He enumerated the development work done by the current BJP-led government, saying it had made bombs and blockades a thing of the past. INDIA members continued to protest as Mr. Modi spoke; he called their alliance “ghamandia [arrogant]”, in a play on the bloc’s name, and alleged that they refused to discuss Manipur for their political ends, even though Home Minister Amit Shah was prepared to do so. Mr. Modi’s address did not leave regional and socialist parties aligned with the INDIA bloc unscathed; about the latter, he said that their ideological mentor, Ram Manohar Lohia, said Nehru was “deliberately keeping back the northeast,” calling it a “careless and dangerous thing to keep 30,000 square miles of territory in a cold storage.” As he wound up his speech he said no-confidence motions brought him luck- the last one in 2018 had seen the NDA return with a bigger majority- and asked the Opposition to “try again in 2028.” Notably, in 2018, he had [similarly said there ought to be another no-confidence motion against his government in 2023](. The [ethnic violence in Manipur]( has dominated the Parliament’s monsoon session, but little debate has transpired. In the Rajya Sabha, [it has been all but lost in a maze of rules](. In the Lok Sabha, [it largely came to the fore during the debate on the no-confidence motion]( The Hindu’s Editorials [Arrow][Risky recourse: On the Reserve Bank of India’s Monetary Policy Committee and policy rate]( [Arrow][Necessary intervention: On India’s conservation ethos]( The Hindu’s Daily News Quiz The government of which of the following States was dismissed by Narasimha Rao’s government in 1992? - Bihar - Haryana - Maharashtra - Maharashtra To know the answer and to play the full quiz, [click here](. 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