Indian parliament debates no-confidence motion against Narendra Modi: ‘India is burning’

Opposition parties bring vote against Modi to force him to break his silence over sectarian violence in Manipur

India’s parliament began a debate on a no-confidence motion that opposition political parties have brought against Narendra Modi’s government to force the prime minister to break his silence on the sectarian violence that has engulfed Manipur state.

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi initiated the debate on the no-confidence motion instead of Congress scion Rahul Gandhi, who was widely believed to lead the debate after being reinstated as a lawmaker on Monday.

The debate is expected to continue till Thursday when Mr Modi will likely present his reply. The motion is not likely to affect Mr Modi’s government as his party enjoys a significant majority in parliament over his political rivals.

The motion has been presented by the newly formed INDIA alliance, a 26-party opposition bloc formed recently, to push Mr Modi to issue a statement on Manipur in parliament since the session began last month and take on the ruling government in the 2024 national elections.

On Tuesday, Mr Modi said the motion moved by the INDIA bloc is only a “programme for them, but for us it’s an opportunity”. He said there was no reason to worry about the upcoming debate as he is confident his MPs would “hit a sixer at the last ball”.

It comes on the heels of unprecedented ethnic violence between two groups in Manipur that has pushed the northeastern state to the brink of civil war in recent months.

Since early May, violence has engulfed the remote state ruled by Mr Modi’s Bhartiya Janata Party.

The dispute originated from an affirmative action dispute, where Christian Kukis opposed the request from predominantly Hindu Meiteis for tribal status that would enable them to purchase land in the hills inhabited by Kukis and other tribal communities, as well as gain access to government job opportunities.

Security personnel stand guard as demonstrators protest against mass burial of Kuki-Zomi people killed in Manipur’s ethnic violence on 3 August (AFP via Getty Images)

More than 150 people have died and over 50,000 displaced as ethnic clashes continue with mobs rampaging through villages, torching houses and buildings.

“If Manipur is burning, then India is burning,” Mr Gogoi said while opening the session.

“PM has taken a ‘maun vrat’ [vow of silence] to not speak in the Parliament. So, we had to bring the No Confidence Motion to break his silence,” he said.

Mr Gogoi put three questions in front of the ruling BJP.

“Why did Mr Modi 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, and why has the PM not sacked the Manipur CM [chief minister] so far?” he asked.

The debate is expected to continue for 16 hours, with 15 speakers debating from both sides.

Dozens of houses lay vandalized and burnt during ethnic clashes and rioting in Sugnu, in Manipur (AP)

A commotion broke out in the secretariat of the lower house of parliament, the Lok Sabha, as proceedings were disrupted with sloganeering after BJP MP Nishikant Dubey countered Mr Gogoi.

Opposition party members protested and a huge uproar began in the Lok Sabha after a ticker by Sansad TV, a government television channel, showed the BJP government’s achievements instead of reflecting the information on ongoing debate proceedings.

The uproar led house speaker Om Birla to say he will “look into” the controversy over the ticker and ask “the relevant team to take the necessary action”. Mr Birla, who belongs to the ruling party, however, quipped: “I don’t have the button to stop the ticker.”

The Modi government has no chance of losing the no-confidence motion as the BJP enjoys a clear majority of 301 members in the 542-seat parliament.

But opposition parties argued that the motion will force Mr Modi to appear on the parliament floor to answer questions on the failure of his government in controlling the violence.

The parliament session which began on 20 July has been consistently hit by adjournment and disruptions amid loud sloganeering and booing as opposition parties protested to demand Mr Modi’s address in the house.

The government has tried to rush through bills and some have been passed with disruption and protests with little debate.

Opposition lawmakers demanding a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the violence in Manipur state carry placards outside the Parliament building in New Delhi (AP)

Mr Modi, who has taken numerous diplomatic and strategic trips to countries, broke his silence for the first time last month when a horrific video of women being paraded naked and molested by a mob in the state sent shockwaves across the country.

While he condemned the sexual assault, he refrained from commenting on the larger ongoing conflict.

This is the second time Mr Modi’s government is facing a no-confidence vote since coming to power in 2014.

In 2018, a no-confidence motion was defeated after a debate over the issue of granting a special category status to southern Andhra Pradesh state.

On Tuesday, the motion was presented in the presence of home minister Amit Shah and opposition Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi.