“Only when a CM stops cooperating with the Centre, should he be changed. The present CM has been cooperating with us. The chief secretary, DGP and security advisor were all changed within a day of the violence erupting,” Shah said.
Credit: PTI Photo
Mounting a strong defense of the Modi government during the discussion of the no-trust vote in the Lok Sabha, union minister for home affairs Minister Amit Shah urged the opposition not to politicize the issue and defended Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, saying that he has been cooperating with the Centre to bring the situation under control.
“Only when a CM stops cooperating with the Centre, should he be changed. The present CM has been cooperating with us. The chief secretary, DGP and security advisor were all changed within a day of the violence erupting,” Shah said.
Shah said as a society, we are ashamed of the incidents in Manipur but urged the opposition not to politicize the developments and asked the warring ethnic groups to shun violence and engage in dialogue.
“In 1990, during the Kuki Naga violence, 750 people lost their lives and (then) MoS Home Rajesh Pilot made a statement in the House; no one went there. In 1993, during the Meitei-Pangal violence, 100 people lost their lives during the IK Gujral government; no one spoke,” Shah said referring to the ethnic clashes which erupted during non-BJP regimes.
In his speech, the home minister also listed the achievements of the Modi government in the last nine years. He said that 9.6 crore people got gas connections, 11 crore families now had a toilet, 12.65 crore people have water connections, 50 crore have medical insurance, and 49.65 crore have bank accounts.
Taking a potshot at Rahul Gandhi, Shah said that Gandhi once had spoken about having lunch with a poor lady called Kalavati in Parliament. “The member has tried to launch himself for 13 times in a row… He said he had lunch with a lady called Kalavati, But tell us, what happened to her? Whether it is her house, ration, electricity — everything was provided to her by the Modi government,” Shah said.
At the conclusion of his two-hour address, Shah proposed a resolution appealing for peace in Manipur which was read out by the speaker and adopted by the house
Congress, however, insisted that the text of the resolution be shared with the opposition and it should be accepted in the presence of PM Modi on Thursday.