Opening with a quote by Dr BR Ambedkar, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) MP Kanimozhi pledged her support for the no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi-led Union government. Speaking on the ethnic conflict in Manipur, Kanimozhi said, “For the first time in India, the judiciary had to intervene in a state. Isn’t it shameful?” She also referred to the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) much-touted ‘double engine sarkaar’, and called it a “double-edged sword” instead.
Criticising the Manipur government, Kanimozhi said that the manner in which Chief Minister Biren Singh handled the violence is “shameful’. She further said that Manipur has the highest police to population ratio, adding, “There are 161 units including the Assam Rifles in Manipur. While a woman was killed and raped, the double engine government did nothing. Before the two women were stripped, paraded naked and gang raped, they went to the police for help, but the police refused.” She also alleged that the brother and father of one of the victims was taken out of the police vehicle they had climbed into for refuge and were handed over to the mob who killed them.
“The National Commision for Women and the State Women’s Commision did nothing. Maybe they were hoping everything would go away but a video of the incident went viral, unfortunately for them,” Kanimozhi also said.
“A lot of people here [Lok Sabha] spoke about Draupadi. Anybody who has read Mahabharata properly will know that it was not only perpetrators who were punished but also silent onlookers. Those who were silent during Kathua, Unao rapes, about Bilkis Bano, the wrestlers’ protest and about Manipur will similarly be punished,” the DMK MP further said.
Kanimozhi also said that, “The Chief Minister of Manipur has been blaming the Kukis and Nagas for drug cultivation. But a former SP [Superintendent of Police], Brinda, blames the Chief Minister, the Chief Minister’s Office and the Manipur government for it. There have been many newspaper stories saying that the pesticides and fertilisers sent to the state are being diverted for poppy cultivation and not for food protection. Shouldn’t there be a proper investigation into what is really happening?”
Kanimozhi also criticised the relief camps in the state alleging that there is a lack of basic facilities and that roofs of shelters are leaking when it rains. Kanimozhi, who was part of the INDIA alliance delegation that visited Manipur, said, “We saw only despair and despondency in their eyes, whether we spoke to Meiti, Kuki or Naga people.”
The DMK MP addressed the issue of the sengol as well. “You brought the Sengol to the Parliament with much pomp and show. You talked about the Chola tradition. You don’t know about Tamil Nadu history. Have you heard of the Pandian sengol? It shattered and burnt when the king failed the common people. Do you know the story of Kannagi? Please stop imposing Hindi on us and go read the Silapathikaram. It has a lot of lessons to teach you.” she said.
Kanimozhi was referring to the story of the Tamil classical text, the Silapathikaram. In the story, the Pandiya king’s sengol breaks after he learns of the unjust killing of Kannagi’s husband, Kovlan by his administration. The breaking of the king’s sceptre is considered anonymous with unjust rule.
Referring to the report on the train crash in Balasore, Odisha, Kanimozhi said, “The government was warned two months before the accident that there should be an inquiry into the shortcuts used for signalling and the telecommuting system in the country. Today, there are vacancies in operational safety categories. Over 50,000 people have not been employed. Isn’t this the fault of the government? What is your response to the people who have lost their lives?”
She also said that, “This government fears and deplores accountability. It hides data or refuses to collect. When the data does not favour them, they sack the person in charge. The NFHS (National Family Health Survey) chairperson was suspended when he exposed the false claims of the Union government.”
KS James, the director of the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS),which prepares the National Family Health Survey was suspended earlier this year in July.
The senior DMK leader also criticised the Modi government for falling employment and investment rates, the closing down of public schools and the sedition charges against dissenters in the country.