NEW DELHI: Hitting at each other’s Achilles’ heel, Congress on Monday reiterated its demand for a statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi over ethnic violence rocking the northeastern state of Manipur since May 3 while the ruling BJP questioned opposition over Delhi floods, violence during recently-concluded West Bengal panchayat election and alleged corruption in Tamil Nadu.
While Arvind Kejriwal-led Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in power in Delhi, West Bengal has Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Tamil Nadu is governed by MK Stain-headed Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK). All three are part of the 26-party opposition which is meeting in Bengaluru on Tuesday to chalk out their strategy for jointly contesting the 2024 Lok Sabha election.
Congress has been continuously demanding a statement from the PM on the Manipur violence whether he was in the US or in France recently. They have been seeking a statement from Modi appealing to the warring factions to maintain peace.
Congress MP and general secretary in-charge of organisation K C Venugopal said, “Everyday democracy is in danger. Why is the PM maintaining silence over Manipur (violence)?"
Congress MP and in-charge of communication department Jairam Ramesh said, “Where is the leadership which is silent on Manipur for the last 75 days?"
The two Congress leaders were talking to media persons in Bengaluru ahead of the two-day opposition meet.
In return, BJP MP and national spokesperson Ravi Shankar Prasad attacked the opposition for ignoring the burning issues in these three states. “The so-called combination of opposition parties meeting in Bengaluru has completely sidetracked with impunity the whole issue of good governance and probity in public life. The Congress, CPI and CPM are silent on Delhi floods; murder of democracy and Mamata's dictatorship in Bengal; and the blatant corruption in Tamil Nadu,” he said.
He said, “It is a matter of great regret that the Congress has not spoken a word on the Delhi floods. It is such a massive failure of the Kejriwal government that the high-level meeting to check floods was not held in the last two years and desilting of the drains did not take place. Congress blames the Centre for everything but why is it not asking a single question from the AAP government in Delhi? Will the opportunistic alliance of the opposition go to this extent?”
Prasad said the same question pertains to Bengal. “Shameful violence took place in the Bengal panchayat election. Innocent people were killed. A team of MPs headed by me visited Bengal to inquire into the violence. We found several poll-related irregularities. Not just the BJP but also leftist and Congress workers and supporters were killed. Why does not the Congress speak anything on Bengal violence?”
Without naming V Senthil Balaji, he said a minister of the Tamil Nadu government was caught by the Enforcement Directorate (ED). Two judges of the Madras high court put a seal on his custody because the charges against him are very serious. Despite this, the Congress does not question the Tamil Nadu government, he said. “The Congress has diverted from its basic principles. It is silent on Delhi and Bengal,” he said.
