New Delhi: Odisha’s ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Tuesday opposed the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government on the Manipur violence, saying what happened in the state is due to “legacy issues” running back several decades.
Participating in the debate in Lok Sabha, BJD MP Pinaki Misra said it is out of the question for the regional party to support any motion brought by the Congress.
“I cannot support a no-confidence motion against the central government today, even though we are against the BJP as a political party,” Misra said.
The BJD MP further said that the party grateful for many things the central government has done for Odisha. “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,” he said.
“They are very adept at cutting their nose to spite their face,” he said, targeting the Congress. It defies logic and political sense to bring a no-confidence motion that is bound to fail, Misra said, adding that every time the prime minister gets up on the floor of the House, “he pushes the Congress party through the shredder”.
“So let me make it clear we oppose this motion because of the fact that it has been brought by the Congress party. But there are many other compelling reasons,” he said.
The conflagration in Manipur is not the result of the last 10 years, he said. “It is the result of nearly 50-60 years of strife in Manipur, the fact of the matter is the entire issue boiled earlier in the 1980s too,” the Parliamentarian said.
Misra said the home minister had called an all-party meeting on Manipur where he gave an exceptionally detailed analysis of the situation there.
“I believe the central government missed a trick there. The central government asking for the matter to be remanded back to the High Court was a huge error and I pointed out there that the central government should have been happy to let the matter rest in the Supreme Court’s lap because we have seen people of the country have faith in the Supreme Court,” he said.
Misra also urged all political parties to speak in one voice on the Manipur issue.
“What happened in Manipur is heart-rending and all parties must speak in one voice. What this parliament cannot afford is a no-confidence motion against the central government because each party must give constructive suggestions rather than blaming the central government on Manipur which is clearly a legacy issue running back several decades,” Misra said.
He also said that it is not clear how useful a step to impose President’s rule in Manipur would be.
“If President’s rule is imposed there I am not sure if it would have worked too. So the central government was confronted with a Hobson’s choice and all political parties should have considered it. The need of the hour is to speak in one voice and not a fractious tone,” he said.
Misra also said that what happened in Manipur is seen everywhere where there is strife and conflict.
“The way forward for women empowerment is to bring women reservation bill. One point that the government lacks the confidence of House is not to bring women reservation bill and I plead and urge the govt to bring it in the Winter session,” he said.
He also took a swipe at the Congress, saying the party is “adept at snatching defeat from the jaws of the victory”.
“It is for people to decide if it was right or wrog for him to speak and you take that to the people to decide.
“You don’t bring a no-confidence motion that is doomed to fail, you don’t bring it needlessly and waste the time of the House and disrupt the House. This kind of disruptive politics has not paid any dividend in past and it would not pay any dividend in the future,” he said.
