Does Rahul expect armed forces to fire on Indians in Manipur, asks BJP

The Bharatiya Janata Party on Saturday asked Rahul Gandhi if he expected the armed forces to resort to shooting at Indians in violence-hit Manipur and claimed the Congress leader does not have any trace of democratic thought in his mind.

Noting that Gandhi had claimed that armed forces can restore peace in the state within two days if allowed, BJP leader and former Union minister Ravi Shankar Prasad wondered if he wanted what his grandmother and then prime minister Indira Gandhi had done by ordering the Air Force to drop bombs in Aizawl in 1966.

The Congress has said the Air Force was then used to target armed militant groups.

Prasad asked, "Does Rahul Gandhi expect armed forces to fire upon Indians in Manipur where there is tension? Or should harmony be spread there and efforts be made to bring people together?"

He noted that there is a lot of tension in the state between two groups (Meitis and Kukis) and accused Gandhi of delivering an inciting speech in Parliament.

Though some of his controversial references were expunged in Lok Sabha, Gandhi reiterated his allegation at a press conference against the government that its politics had led to the 'murder' of 'Bharat Mata' in Manipur.

He neither understands the country nor its politics, Prasad said, asking Rahul Gandhi not to use such shameful and irresponsible language.

The BJP leader referred to the killings of Sikhs in the 1984 communal violence and the Nellie massacre in 1983 to ask how Gandhi will describe them.

It is the Congress which divided the country, he alleged.

Taking a swipe at Gandhi, Prasad said the former Congress chief owes his position to his family name and not to his abilities. He should not exhibit his incapabilities to the country every day, the BJP leader said.

He also accused the opposition of behaving in an "utterly irresponsible" manner during the Monsoon session of Parliament by disrupting it frequently.

The BJP leader back at the Congress and its Leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury for their criticism of his suspension from the House.

Chowdhury constantly disrupted Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply during the debate on the no-confidence motion, Prasad said and noted his reference to a fugitive to target the prime minister.

Modi spoke on Manipur and the northeast region for nearly 30 minutes, he said, rejecting the criticism that the prime minister did not speak much on the matter.

Home Minister Amit Shah also spoke for over an hour on the Manipur issue, he added.

The Opposition first demanded that Modi should speak, when he spoke they disrupted him and then walked out. They are now alleging that they are not allowed to speak, Prasad said, accusing them of hypocrisy.

If the Opposition conducts itself in such a manner, the government will surely press ahead with the passage of bills and will not stop work because of its disruptions, he said.

To a question about Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin's accusation of Hindi imposition by the Centre after Shah introduced three bills to replace the Indian Penal Code, Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) and the Indian Evidence Act, Prasad mentioned Hindustan Petroleum, Bharat Petroleum and Bharatiya Rail to say that many such Indian entities are functioning in the southern state.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita Bill, 2023; and Bharatiya Sakshya Bill, 2023, that will replace the Indian Penal Code, 1860, Criminal Procedure Act, 1898, and the Indian Evidence Act, 1872 respectively.