Debate over no-confidence motion underway in Lok Sabha

Confress MP Manish Tewari said, “16 military talks have taken place between India and China, what have they been about? Have we really agreed to create buffer zones, all from India? The country needs to know about the talks between India and China."

The Communist party of India (Marxist) supported the no-confidence motion.

CPI(M) MP AM Ariff said, "The Prime Minister... is thinking about how to divide the people and is discussing with the 50 member-group of BJP, ‘how to use the division cleverly to win more seats in the coming elections’. Why our Prime Minister is hesitating to come to Parliament? I wish to remind you once again that we were also elected by the people just like you."

Hitting back at Kiren Rijiju, Congress stalwart Jairam Ramesh said, "During the no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has boasted about the Prime Minister’s directions to Cabinet Ministers and Ministers of State to visit Northeast every 15 days. Yes, we all know about the frequency of visits of Union Ministers before any election. But it has been 97 days since the horrific ethnic violence broke out in Manipur. INDIA asks how many of Modi’s Ministers have been to Manipur? We challenge you to furnish details of the visits of Union Ministers to Manipur in the last 97 days!"

TMC MP Saugata Roy said, "This government is government of the heartless. They are sending delegation to West Bengal on any plea. But not one delegation has gone to Manipur where our brothers and sisters are dying... You have no compassion and that is why you have not gone to Manipur like other parties."

DMK MP Thalikkottai R Baalu said, "Minorities of Manipur have been killed ruthlessly. 143 people have been killed. 65,000 people have fled the state. Two women were stripped, gang-raped and paraded naked on the streets of Manipur... The CM is helpless. The PM is not coming to Parliament and he has not gone to the state. Whereas, INDIA parties went there and understood what has happened."

Kiren Rijiju said, before 2014, many people from the Northeast faced racial discrimination and atrocities in Delhi and other cities.

He claimed that after 2014 the situation changed, and the DGP conference was held in Guwahati for the first time after independence.

Hitting out at the opposition alliance, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said, "Naming your alliance INDIA will not work if you support anti-India activities."

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Arvind Sawant said, “If Supreme Court is deciding how your government will function in Manipur and how the forces will function, this is a slap on your government."

Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav, "How many FIRs have been acted upon? Over 60,000 people and 14,000 children have been displaced. We have just requested honourable Prime Minister to come and speak in Parliament. It was the prior responsibility of the Chief Minister to protect the people. If the government wanted, this violence could've been controlled within two days."

BJP MP Sunita Duggal said after the success on Article 370, Triple Talaq, and Ram Mandir, the government is now focusing on a Uniform Civil Code.

NCP MP Supriya Sule cited 10,000 cases of rioting, murder, and rape in Manipur and demanded Chief Minister N Biren Singh's resignation adding that the BJP has "shamed women".

She said, "The BJP has toppled nine (state) governments in the last nine years - Arunachal, Uttarakhand, Manipur, Meghalaya, Karnataka, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Puducherry, and Maharashtra twice. During the last nine years, we have seen price rises, LPG price rises, broken institutes."

BJD MP Pinaki Misra said, “I cannot support a no-confidence motion against a Central government today, even though we are against the BJP as a political party… I am grateful for the many things that the Central government has done for Odisha which is why, in any case, I am unable to persuade myself on behalf of my party and leader to support a no-confidence motion today which has been brought by the Congress party.”

BJP MP Nishikant Dubey attacked Congress leader Sonia Gandhi saying that she has just two objectives, "Bete ko set karna hai aur damad ko bhent karna hai (establish son and give gifts to son-in-law)," referring to her son Rahul Gandhi and son-in-law Rovert Vadra.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi initiated the debate after Rahul Gandhi’s name as the lead speaker was withdrawn at the last minute.

BJP MP and Union Minister Pralhad Joshi took a dig at the Congress saying, “What happened sir? Why did they change order? We are keen to hear him. What happened in 5 minutes.”

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who moved the no-confidence motion, said the opposition was compelled to introduce the motion to break Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “maun vrat” (vow of silence).

Referring to PM Modi, Gogoi posed three questions before the Centre asking, “Why did he not visit Manipur to date? Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak it was just for 30 seconds? Why has the Manipur Chief Minister not been sacked so far?”