Gaurav Gogoi urges PM Modi to visit Manipur, calls for political solution
Gogoi said the Manipur budget should have been discussed in the state Assembly, but President's Rule had been imposed in the state
Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday (March 11) urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur, saying the Centre had failed to restore peace in the state at gunpoint.
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Initiating a discussion in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi asserted that peace cannot be restored in Manipur at the barrel of a gun and only a political solution was the answer.
Manipur budget
The deputy leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha said the Manipur Budget should have been discussed in the state Assembly but President's Rule had been imposed in the state.
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He asked Modi to explain the rationale behind President's Rule in Manipur.
BJP members object
When BJP members objected to Gogoi's extensive reference to the situation in Manipur, the Congress leader shot back.
"If you want peace in Manipur, let the people of Manipur speak. If you want peace in Manipur, have patience to listen to the people of Manipur. What are their political aspirations, what are their apprehensions, fears? You should have the strength to listen to it," he said.
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman also objected to Gogoi's remarks referring to the absence of the prime minister from the House when important matters were being discussed.
‘Don’t abuse former PMs’
Gogoi said that while he had utmost respect for Modi, he accused the treasury benches of abusing every former prime minister.
The Congress leader added that Modi had himself abused former prime ministers in his speech in parliament last month.