Want to break PM’s ‘maun vrat’ on Manipur: Congress MP Gogoi on no-confidence vote

New Delhi [India]: A discussion on the no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government began in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday with Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi initiating the debate.

Gogoi said that the opposition I.N.D.I.A. alliance has brought the no-trust motion for Manipur as the state wants justice.

“We are compelled to bring the no-confidence motion. This was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur. I have moved the motion that this House expresses no confidence in the Government. I.N.D.I.A. has brought this motion for Manipur. Manipur wants justice,” Gogoi said.

Stating that the PM had taken a ‘maun vrat’ (vow of silence) to not speak in the Parliament so the opposition was compelled to introduce the motion to “break his silence.”

“Why did he not visit Manipur to date? Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak it was just for 30 seconds? Why has the Chief Minister not been sacked the Manipur CM so far?,” Gogoi asked.

Earlier in the day Congress chief whip K Suresh had said that Rahul Gandhi, who was reinstated as the Lok Sabha MP a day ago will open the debate on the no-confidence motion.

According to sources, a time of 12 hours has been fixed for the discussion. The ruling BJP will get around seven hours to partake in the discussion and around one hour 15 minutes has been allotted for the Congress party.

YSRCP, Shiv Sena, JDU, BJD, BSP, BRS and LJP have been given a total of 2 hours, which has been divided according to the number of party’s MPs in the House. A time limit of 1 hour 10 minutes has been allotted for other parties and independent MPs.

The debate on the no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government is likely to take place on August 8 and 9 in the Lok Sabha and Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to give a reply on August 10.

Opposition members have been seeking discussion under Rule 267 in the Rajya Sabha since the beginning of the monsoon session of Parliament on July 20.

Manipur had been on the boil for the last three months after ethnic clashes broke out between two tribal communities Meities and Kukis, when the Manipur High Court asked the state government to consider adding one of the communities to the list of Scheduled Tribes.