Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday hit out at the Opposition as they staged a walkout from the Lok Sabha during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s reply to the motion of no confidence and said that their walkout exposed their design that they had nothing to do with Manipur. He also said that the Opposition just wanted to disrupt the Parliament. “Opposition demanded that PM Modi should speak on Manipur and when he started speaking they walked out. That completely exposed their design that the intention of the opposition was nothing to do with Manipur. They just wanted to disrupt the Parliament,” CM Sarma said.

The chief minister also praised PM Modi’s speech and said he spoke from his heart adding that he showed his affection for the people of Manipur. “PM Modi spoke from his heart. He also showed his affection for the people of Manipur. As a principal party, they should have listened to Prime Minister’s speech till the last,” CM Sarma said. As the Prime Minister was taking on the Opposition on several issues, the members of I.N.D.I.A bloc staged a walkout from the House, literally making the Opposition benches empty. However, the no-confidence motion was defeated in the Lok Sabha. The NDA defeated the no-confidence motion comfortably with a voice vote in the Lok Sabha.

Meanwhile, PM Modi on Thursday, while speaking on a no-confidence motion in Lok Sabha, assured for strictest punishment for the accused who indulged in crimes against women. Asserting that state and central government are working to restore peace in Manipur, the PM said that the government is taking steps to bring normalcy there. “Both the state and central governments are doing everything possible to ensure that the accused get the strictest punishment. I want to assure the people that peace will be restored in Manipur in the coming time,” PM Modi said while replying to the no-confidence motion against his government. “There are serious crimes against women and they are unforgivable,” he added. He further said the country is with the people of Manipur.

“I want to tell people of Manipur including women and daughters of Manipur that the country is with you,” he added.

The opposition moved a no-confidence motion against the Modi government on July 26 which was taken up by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The three days of the motion witnessed a fierce battle between the ruling and the Opposition coalitions over the Manipur violence and other raging issues.

Leaders of several opposition parties on Monday staged a protest in the Parliament complex demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement in the House on the Manipur issue. Holding placards and banners that read “INDIA for Manipur” and “INDIA demands PM’s statement on Manipur”, the opposition parties raised slogans against the government in front of Mahatma Gandhi’s statue in Parliament complex.

Speaking to reporters, Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said it is the prime minister’s duty to make a comprehensive statement in Parliament on Manipur violence. “It is shameful that the prime minister is making a statement outside the House when Parliament is in session. It is his duty to make a comprehensive statement inside Parliament on Manipur violence,” the Congress leader said.

It is shameful that the Prime Minister is making a statement outside the House, when Parliament is in session. It is his duty to make a comprehensive statement inside the Parliament on Manipur violence.

Therefore, we are requesting the Chairman of Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of… pic.twitter.com/oSvB3ZcD8u

— Mallikarjun Kharge (@kharge) July 24, 2023

“We are requesting the Chairman of Rajya Sabha and the Speaker of Lok Sabha that the PM should make a statement on the situation in Manipur. We want a discussion under Rule 167 but the Modi government wants a short duration discussion under Rule 176 for half an hour.We want under Rule 267 under which there can also be voting,” he said.

The prime minister should first make a statement and then we will have a discussion under Rule 267, he said The Modi government and the BJP cannot run away from its constitutional duty and answerability on Manipur, Kharge added.

The government has agreed to hold a short-duration discussion on the Manipur issue with the Home Minister replying to it, but the opposition is adamant on its demand for the prime minister’s statement first. Both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha have failed to transact any business during the Monsoon Session amid the stalemate between the opposition and the government over the Manipur issue.