On July 26, 2023, India’s political landscape was marked by a significant development as the parliament authorized a no-confidence vote against Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The motion was brought forward by an alliance of opposition parties, with the aim of compelling the Prime Minister to address the growing concerns about ethnic clashes in Manipur, a northeastern state.
Despite having a clear majority with 301 members in the 542-seat lower house of parliament, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is not expected to face any stability threats from the no-confidence vote. However, the opposition’s intention is not to topple the government but rather to draw attention to the violence unfolding in the remote BJP-ruled state of Manipur.
Since early May, Manipur has been embroiled in violent ethnic tensions, leading to the deaths of over 130 people and displacing more than 60,000 individuals. The situation has emerged as a rare security and political failure for Modi’s government, which is due to face a national election by May 2024.
Prime Minister Modi remained silent about the violence until last week, when videos depicting the heinous acts of a mob parading and molesting two women in Manipur surfaced, sparking national outrage. In response to the outcry, Modi finally condemned the mass assault as “shameful” and vowed to take stringent action against the perpetrators.
The opposition parties, however, were not satisfied with Modi’s delayed response and have since disrupted the monsoon session of parliament, which began last week, demanding a comprehensive statement from the Prime Minister about the situation in Manipur, followed by a thorough debate.
As the head of the government, Modi is obliged to respond to the no-confidence motion before it is put to vote. While the government has offered a statement from Home Minister Amit Shah, asserting that internal security falls under his ministry’s jurisdiction, the opposition insists on hearing from the Prime Minister himself.
The root cause of the violence in Manipur lies in a court order from May 3, which mandated the state government to consider extending special economic benefits and quotas in government jobs and education to the majority Meitei population, as enjoyed by the tribal Kuki people.
Leading the charge from the main opposition Congress party, Shashi Tharoor emphasized the need for the government to address the pressing concerns surrounding Manipur. The state has experienced distressing loss of life, violence, sexual assault, and displacement, making it imperative for this issue to become the primary focus of national discourse.
In the coming days, the nation will await the parliamentary debate, hoping it will not only shed light on the situation in Manipur but also lead to concrete measures to address the underlying issues and prevent further escalation of violence.
Source: https://www.sabcnews.com/sabcnews/indias-modi-government-faces-no-confidence-vote-over-ethnic-clashes/
Content created and supplied by: MajorMedia (via Opera
News )
