Modi killed the country in Manipur, now trying to burn it, in Haryana: Rahul Gandhi

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi who has been reinstated as a Member of Parliament spoke on the No-Confidence Motion moved against the Narendra Modi government. He launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi saying he killed Manipur and Bharat Mata.

New Delhi: Terming Narendra Modi as ‘anti-national’ and accusing him of murdering the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi – in a blistering attack against BJP and the Prime Minister in Particular –alleged that he (Modi) was trying to burn the whole nation – first Manipur and then Haryana.

Gandhi who was speaking in favour of the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha said, "During 'Bharat Jodo Jatra', I have realised that 'Bharat ek Awaz hai (India is a voice) and you (Modi) have killed the voice in Manipur. So you don't go to Manipur. You have allowed Manipur to burn and now you are doing the same thing in Haryana. You cannot be a patriot - custodian of this country. You are an anti-national, killers of Bharat Mata (Mother India)".

However, Gandhi was cautioned by Speaker Om Birla for his use of language. The speaker said that there should be patience and respect in the language. Responding to the Speaker, Gandhi said, "Here, in this house, I have one mother and there is another mother. My mother is killed in Manipur. I am speaking with respect. if you don't stop violence in Manipur, you are killing my mother."

Linking Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Raavan and also alleged that the PM listened to only two people - Union Home Minister Amit Shah and businessman Gautam Adami. Hinting at Narendra Modi's pride and BJP's highhandedness to become the major reason behind their downfall, the Congress leader in his maiden speech after being reinstated as an MP said, "Raavan listened to two people - Meghnad and Kumbhakaran. Similarly, (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi listens to people - Amit Shah and (Gautam) Adani. Lanka was burned not by Hanuman but it was burned by Ravan’s pride. Ram didn't kill Ravana but it was his pride that killed him."

Accusing Modi of taking a step-motherly attitude towards the hilly state, the Congress leader said, "Prime Minister didn't go to Manipur because he thinks Manipur is not our country".

Ruminating about his harrowing experiences in relief camps in Manipur, Gandhi said, "I went to Manipur relief camps and spoke to the women. I want to give you two examples. One woman said that she had only one child and the child was shot in front of her. The woman said that she lied along with the child for the entire night. Then she said she left everything. In another camp, a woman started to shiver when I asked what happened to her and then she fainted. These people (the BJP) have murdered 'Hindustan' (India) in Manipur. They have killed the country in Manipur".

After this, there was a commotion in the treasury bench and Gandhi was accused of telling lies to which the Congress leader said, "I don’t tell lies. You tell." This led to further ruckus as the BJP members demanded Rahul's apology. Rahul further spoke about his experiences during the Bharat Jodo Yatra and asserted that the Yatra would continue and he would even go to Ladakh.

"Last time when I spoke, it troubled you (as) I focussed on (Gautam) Adani. It troubled your (BJP) senior leaders. I apologise but I had spoken the truth. Last year for 130 days, I travelled from one corner to another corner of India, along with other people. From the Sea to Kashmir, I walked. The (Bharat) Yatra has not ended," he added.

"A lot of people during the Yatra asked me what is your goal. Why are you going from Kanyakumari to Kashmir? Initially, I did not have an answer. I did not know why I started the Yatra. When I began I wanted to be among the people. The thing for which I am ready to die, the thing for which I am ready to go to jail, the thing for which I have heard abuses for 10 years, what is the thing, the thing which I was close to, I wanted to understand it," Rahul Gandhi added.

In an emotional narration, the Congress leader shared his experiences with a farmer who had come to say that he had nothing to give him. "He had a bad season and the businessmen had snatched his insurance money even. He was left with nothing," he said adding that it was his first realisation about the meaning of this country and the goal of his jatra.

"I released the pains, the shame and the hunger of the farmer. I understood the meaning of Bharat Jodo Jatra. From then onwards the shouts didn't touch me, what touched me was the voice of the farmer, and the pains of the people who spoke to me. Many people defined the country in different ways but I understood that the country is a voice - the voice of Hindustan. Bharat ek Aawaz hai," the Member of Parliament from Wayanad constituency added. Rahul further said that if the country wants to hear the voice of the people, then it has to rid of "pride and ego".

Rahul Gandhi at the beginning of his speech thanked Speaker Om Birla for reinstating him as the Member of Parliament. "I thank you Om Birla Sir for reinstating me as a Member of Lok Sabha," Rahul said in Hindi.

The No-Confidence Motion was moved by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi. Gaurav Gogoi was the first speaker from the grand-old party and he launched a direct attack on the failures of the Centre while asserting that he was forced to bring the Motion to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the issue in Manipur.

Rahul Gandhi in the past has repeatedly targeted the Narendra Modi-led regime and the BJP for the situation in the strife-torn state. The Congress had also been questioning the silence of the Prime Minister, who spoke for around 30 seconds for the first time on the situation after several days since the violence erupted.