After Rahul Gandhi's 'killing Bharat Mata' remark in LS, Amit Shah accuses him of 'indulging in drama' during Manipur visit
New Delhi/IBNS: Participating in the No-Confidence Motion debate in Lok Sabha, Union Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack on Rahul Gandhi and accused the Congress leader of "indulging in a drama" when he visited violence-hit Manipur.
"Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur, I welcome that. But he indulged in drama. He wanted to go by road to Churachandpur. We said he should take a chopper, but he didn't. Then he took a chopper the next day. If you think you can trouble the government and people won't notice, they will," Shah said.
The attack came as Rahul Gandhi earlier in the day accused the government of "killing Bharat Mata".
"India is a voice, a voice of the heart. You have killed that voice in Manipur. You have murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur. You are traitors," he said.
The Congress MP also alleged that the Prime Minister "has not gone to Manipur as he doesn't consider it a part of India".
In a veiled jibe at Gandhi who was reinstated to Parliament after his relief from the Supreme Court in the 'Modi surname' case, Shah, without taking his name, said, "There's a leader in this house who was launched 13 times in the House and failed 13 times."
"In one of his speeches, he mentioned one 'Kalavati'. All facilities to 'Kalavati' were given by our government," he added.
Responding to the debate over the No-Confidence Motion moved by the opposition against the government, Shah presented a report card of the Centre in terms of fighting Covid and the drugs menace.
He said the politics done in the name of Manipur is "shameful".
"They (the Congress) have done nothing for the Northeast, we have done that... For 10 years under UPA, nothing happened," the Home Minister said, accusing the Congress of promoting infighting.
"Now there has been a 68 percent decline in incidents of violence... Infrastructural development reduced time and distance. PM Modi went to the northeast over 50 times in 9 years. he connected northeast to India," he said.
Alleging that the No-Confidence Motion was brought to "mislead people", Shah said, "For 30 years, the country was suffering from dynastic politics, corruption, and casteism and PM Modi finished all these and gave politics of performance to the country".
"Post-Independence, if there is one leader whom India completely trusts it is PM Modi. This no confidence motion doesn't reflect the people's choice, it has been brought in only to disrupt," he added.
Unlike the Congress, the BJP will not resort to bribery to win, he assured the House saying: "When Narsimha Rao was in power, a No-Confidence Motion was brought. The Congress wanted to save the government and they won the motion. JMM and several leaders were bribed. Many leaders were jailed, even Narsimha Rao (former Prime Minister) was also jailed."
"In 1999, during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, we could have also done that (bribing leaders) and we put forward our points and lost the motion by 1 vote. We could have saved the motion," he said.
Smriti Irani attacks Rahul Gandhi over blowing a flying kiss:
Union Minister Smriti Irani earlier accused Rahul Gandhi of blowing a "flying kiss" while leaving Parliament after his speech during the No-Confidence Motion debate in Lok Sabha.
"Only a misogynist man can blow a flying kiss to Parliament that seats women MPs. The action lacked dignity," she charged.
"Never before has the misogynistic behaviour of a man been so visible in parliament. When the House of the people - where laws are made to protect the dignity of women - during the course of a session stands witness to a man's misogyny, my question is should he be brought to task?" she questioned.
The Congress defended that Gandhi was gesturing towards MPs of the ruling BJP who were shouting slogans.
"Rahul Gandhi gestured towards the treasury benches as he was leaving with a flying kiss as he had called them brothers and sisters. He did not direct it towards any particular minister or MP, and not at all towards Smriti Irani," a Congress leader said.
However, women BJP MPs demanded action and complained to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that Gandhi had insulted women with his alleged "indecent gesture".