No Confidence Motion: Gogoi Questions PM Modi's 'Maun Vrat' On Manipur, Asks Three Key Questions

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on Tuesday initiated the no-confidence motion debate in Lok Sabha in place of Rahul Gandhi. He said the opposition bloc INDIA was forced to bring the no-confidence motion against the government to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi's ''vow of silence'' on Manipur.

He said, "We are compelled to bring the No Confidence Motion. This was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur. I move the Motion that this House expresses No Confidence in the Government. I.N.D.I.A. has brought this Motion for Manipur. Manipur wants justice."

Initiating the debate on the motion in the Lok Sabha, Gogoi alleged that a government which talks about ''one India has created two Manipurs -- one living in hills and the other in the valley''.

As the lower house took up the motion moved by Gogoi, there were heated exchanges between the opposition and treasury benches after Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wondered why Rahul Gandhi's name as lead speaker was withdrawn last minute.

Gogoi's response that should the remarks made by the prime minister in Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's chamber be revealed in the House evoked a sharp retort from Home Minister Amit Shah who said the member cannot make unsubstantiated claims about the PM.

Gogoi submitted his motion -- 'This House expresses want of confidence in the council of ministers' -- before the House and then made his statement.

He said the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) parties were forced to bring the no-confidence motion as this was never about numbers but about justice for Manipur.

''Manipur demands justice. Martin Luther King Jr had said injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. If Manipur is burning, whole of India is burning, if Manipur is divided, country is divided. It was our demand that as the leader of the country, Prime Minister Modi should come to the House and speak about Manipur. However, he kept a 'maun vrat (vow of silence) that he will neither speak in the Lok Sabha nor in the Rajya Sabha,'' Gogoi said.

''Through the no-confidence motion we want to break his vow of silence,'' he said.

Gogoi said he would like to ask the prime minister why had he not gone to Manipur, when Rahul Gandhi had gone as had Home Minister Shah and the minister of state for home (Nityanand Rai).

''Why did he (PM Modi) take about 80 days to speak on Manipur and just spoke for 30 seconds. After that there has been no peace appeal on Manipur from him. Ministers are saying they will speak, but as PM the power of his words cannot be matched by ministers,'' Gogoi said.

The Congress MP said it is a matter of grave concern that a government which talks about ''one India has created two Manipurs -- one living in hills and the other in the valley''.

Union Minister Pralhad Joshi said, "We wanted to listen Rahul Gandhi... what happened in the last 5 minutes?" after it was announced that Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi would start the discussion on the no-confidence motion.

On Tuesday, the Lok Sabha commenced discussions on a no-confidence motion, a session expected to span 12 hours. Notably, around 6 hours and 41 minutes are allocated for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while the Congress party is granted approximately one hour and 15 minutes, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The debates are scheduled to unfold across two days, specifically August 8 and 9, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to provide his response on August 10.

Initiating the debate in Parliament was Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi. Initially, there were speculations that MP Rahul Gandhi, who returned to Parliament on Monday after a four-month absence, would initiate the discussion in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla had accepted the no-confidence motion proposed by the opposition parties of the I.N.D.I.A bloc last week.

In preparation for the no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha, the Bharatiya Janata Party has scheduled a meeting of its parliamentary party on Tuesday.

The debate concerning the no-confidence motion against the BJP-led government is set to unfold on August 8 and 9 in the lower house of the parliament, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's response scheduled for August 10.