Manipur to Opposition's 'Save Constitution' Rant: PM Modi Addresses Key Issues | Highlights

New Delhi: From Manipur violence to the ‘Save Constitution’ rant of the Opposition, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday addressed the key issues raised in the Parliament by the Congress-led INDI bloc.

PM Modi, speaking in the Rajya Sabha during the Motion of Thanks to the President's speech, emphasised measures taken by the central government to bring normalcy in strife-torn Manipur and tore into Opposition for politicising the matter. 

He announced that 11,000 FIRs have been registered and 500 people arrested in efforts to restore peace in Manipur. He noted that peace is gradually returning to the region and emphasized that the people are actively working towards reconciliation. 

Taking a swipe at the INDI bloc, he said, "The amount of work we have done in the northeast region in the last 5 years would have taken 20 years for Congress to do."

The Prime Minister also addressed the ‘Save Constitution’ rant of the Opposition, by reminding them of the UPA regime when the Emergency was imposed in the biggest attack on the Constitution. 

PM Modi's Rajya Sabha Speech: Key Highlights 

• "Not this election, it was the 1977 election that was fought to save the Constitution. If this election was to save the Constitution, then the people of the nation chose us for it"
• “The Opposition's selective attitude on atrocities against women is very worrying...I have seen a video from Bengal on social media where a woman was being beaten. The incident which happened in Sandeshkhali. But even the senior leaders (of the opposition) have not said a word about it.”
• “India has taken decisive steps towards women-led development and today we are its results. We have also worked in the areas of women's health, sanitation and wellness.”
• “For me, the fight against corruption is not the scale for electoral wins or losses. I am not fighting corruption to win or lose elections. This is my mission, my conviction. I believe that corruption is one such termite that has hollowed out the nation. I am working wholeheartedly to free this country of corruption and to build hatred against corruption in the minds of common people...”
• “They are people who have double standards. I would like to remind the country again and again of the double standards. In Delhi, they share the stage and level allegations against investigation agencies, they conduct rallies to protect the corrupt. In Kerala, their 'shehzada' appeals to send a CM - who is an ally in their alliance - to jail. He tells the Government of India to send him to jail. In Delhi, they raise an alarm over ED-CBI and the same people tell the same agencies to send the Kerala CM to jail.” 
• “I would like to extend hearty gratitude to a few colleagues in Congress. Ever since the results came, I was taking note of a colleague - who was not supported by his party but he held his party's flag all alone. For what he said, unke muh mein ghee shakkar. Why am I saying this? He repeatedly said '1/3rd government'. What can be a bigger truth than this? We have completed 10 years now and there are 20 more to go. So, we have completed 1/3rd, 2/3rd remains. So, 'unke muh mein ghee shakkar' for his prophecy.”

Opposition Stages Walkout

After massive sloganeering and ruckus in the Rajya Sabha, the Opposition decided to walk out during PM Modi's reply to the discussion on Motion of Thanks. 

The Opposition's walkout was triggered by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's criticism of former Congress chief and Rajya Sabha MP Sonia Gandhi. PM Modi accused Congress of running the government on "auto-pilot and remote pilot," implying that they are not committed to hard work and only know how to wait.

Sharpening an attack on the Opposition for staging a walkout, PM Modi said, "running away as they can’t hear the truth." 

Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankar also schooled the Opposition for ‘insulting the house’ and said, “Today, they did not show me their back, they showed it to the Constitution of India. They did not insult me or you, they insulted the oath of the Constitution that they took.”  

He added that there can be no bigger insult to the Constitution of India than the walkout staged by the Opposition. “I condemn their conduct...It is an occasion where they have challenged the Indian Constitution. They outraged the spirit of Indian Constitution, they have disregarded the oath they have undertaken.”