Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury addresses a press conference on the conclusion of the Monsoon session of Parliament, at AICC HQ in New Delhi, Saturday, Aug 12, 2023.
Credit: PTI Photo
Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to lead an all-party delegation to Manipur and hold a "peace rally" there to bring an end to the ethnic violence in the northeastern state.
Prime Minister Modi must tell the people of Manipur that they need not fear and the entire nation stands with them for the restoration of peace in the state, Chowdhury said.
Modi should lead an all-party delegation to hold a peace rally in the state torn by ethnic violence and "we will join", he said in the Aap Ki Adalat show on India TV.
"We made this suggestion in writing in the House, but they did not agree. This is nothing but "bahumat ka bahubali" (arrogance of majority)", Chowdhury said.
When asked why the Opposition walked out even before the prime minister started speaking on Manipur, Chowdhury said, "During his speech, we waited for him to speak on Manipur for two hours, but he did not do so. Even his ministers started dozing off during his speech. You can watch the visuals."
"He spoke on the Manipur issue only for three minutes towards the end of his speech. Had we known that he would speak on Manipur, we would not have walked out," he said.
Chowdhury also said that his fight against Prime Minister Modi and West Bengal Chief Minister Banerjee is "not personal, but political and ideological".
Asked about his remarks describing the Trinamool Congress as "a party of thieves", Chowdhury said, "Patna's (Opposition meeting) topic was different and Bengal's topic was different. Panchayat elections were going on in Bengal. At a time when the I.N.D.I.A bloc has been formed at a national level, and Narendra Modi has become worried, it is impossible for me to react more on this."
On whether violence was still taking place in West Bengal, Chowdhury said, "Yes. Kuch bhi theek nahin hai (Nothing is alright). Hum jo karte hain, locally karte hain (whatever we do, we do it locally). Iska matlab yeh nahin ki sab theek hai (it does not mean, everything is alright)."
"There is a difference between pond (talaab) and river (nadi). For me, Bengal is a pond, and India is a river. Naturally, we will give more preference to the river than to a pond. I say what I want to say. I do not speak snidely or behind anyone's back," he said.
On who was his biggest political enemy, Modi or Mamata Banerjee, Chowdhury said, "I don't consider anyone as an enemy, but they are adversaries. I accord full respect to our prime minister, and I also respect Mamata ji because she is our chief minister. But when people's issues are concerned, I will continue to raise their voices. My fight against them is not personal, but political and ideological."
Asked whether there is any possibility of a patch-up with Banerjee, Chowdhury replied, "Politics is the art of the possible."
Chowdhury, who has been suspended for certain remarks on Prime Minister Modi, also said his comments were taken differently when he was referring to 'Nirav' which means "silent".