August 9, 2023
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar speaks during the No-Confidence Motion against the Council of Ministers in the Lok Sabha
Jai Hind. Jai Bangla. My respect goes to all the Adivasi people today on the occasion of All India Adivasi Divas. My respect goes for the martyrs of the Quit India Movement today. ‘Khurumjari!’ (Namaskar!) How are you Manipur? How are you Bharat? Not well. Not well, at all. There is darkness everywhere. The first speaker and all the other speakers of the Treasury Benches have proven that they are not bothered about what is happening in Manipur. They have not spoken about Manipur. वेकेवल अपनी सत्ता का चढंढोिापीट िहेथे। मचणपिु मेंजोहत्याहो िही है, जो बलात्काि हो िहेह, ैंएक नेभी उसकेबािेमेंकुछ भी नहीं बताया। Hon. Chairman, Sir, I stand here on behalf of All India Trinamool Congress with gratitude towards my Chairperson and leader, Ms. Mamata Banerjee, who sent the first team to Manipur. I was included in that team, and we visited Manipur on 19th July. But my leader was denied permission to visit Manipur on 3rd June when she wanted to visit there and be with the people of Manipur who were suffering so much. She was denied permission. She was not allowed to stand by the strife-torn people of Manipur and help bring back the normal state of affairs. She wanted us to go on 19th July. For INDIA alliance, the glorious alliance striving to bring back democracy to our beloved motherland, hon. Member, Gaurav Gogoi ji has brought this No-Confidence Motion here against the present dispensation. I support it. The ‘Double Engine Government’ as they call it has failed completely to save the people from the manslaughter, the mayhem, the lawlessness that has seen nearly complete destruction of our country, our States. Our Delegation had met the hon. Governor in Manipur, and she said that till that day, that is 19th of July, 57,000 to 58,000 people had lost their homes. They were living in relief camps. Babies were being born in relief camps; mothers were undergoing labour pain in relief camps; there was no doctor; there was no medication; there was no sanitary napkin; there was no food; there was no drinking water; and there was no baby food. So, that was Manipur in the relief camps. And the Treasury Benches did not have the guts to talk about it here since the No-Confidence Motion started. Nearly, 5,000 to 6,000 houses have been burnt there, and women have been tortured, molested and gang raped. One unfortunate gang rape had seen the entire nation come out as one. I do not want to mention it, but this beheading, we have seen videos in which girls were caught by their hair and their throats were slit. All girls should know about these gang rapes. There were two girls hiding in a car wash. They were hiding without food and water for two to three days to avoid these terrorists. They were dragged out from there and gang raped. All this has been covered up by this Government here. The net was blocked, and the media was so manipulated that the nation hardly got the information till we went there. Do not disrespect me. I am talking. The ‘Sage Bard’ whose Death Anniversary we celebrated yesterday … You do not even know who our ‘Sage Bard’ is. The ‘Sage Bard’ of Bengal whose Death Anniversary we just celebrated yesterday had said: “Durbolerey rokkha karo, durjonerey harao” It means, “Protect the weak and hit out at the enemy/evil”. This Government has failed to do that. Whose agenda is it? Whose design is it? India wants to know. The nation is seeing an unforeseen betrayal of democracy, indifference to respect for individual liberty, deafness and blindness to the cries of the tormented not only here, but all over the 10 States of the ‘Double Engine Sarkar’. I would say, like too many cooks spoil the broth, too many engines spoiling the States. बल-इंजन सिकाि काम नहीं कि िही है। … (व्यवधान) We need one engine and one driver. Like West Bengal is surging forward under the leadership of our Chief Minister. … The Centre-State equation is being devastated. … States having Government run by Opposition Parties are being denied their rightful dues as we are experiencing in West Bengal where Rs. 7,000 crore of labour’s money in the MNREGA — who have worked in the fields –has been denied. The roof on top of the head through Awaas Yojana for the poor people has been denied. So, this is the Government that has denied it to the States being ruled by the Opposition Governments. … Just a few days back we saw vehicles and houses burning in Haryana. The whole country is burning. Another ‘Double Engine’ failure in Haryana. … In Manipur, about 70,000 to 80,000 Central Armed Forces/Police have been deployed, butevery second day there is more killing, more arson, more deaths, and more rapes. This is war. It is a civil war. A Government which cannot control a civil war has no business to remain in power. Is this a civil war or a war designed and manipulated from outside wherein our Arunachal Pradesh is at stake, Manipur is at stake, where it is also spreading to Mizoram which is close to Andaman & Nicobar Islands and the Coco Islands? … Try to understand and do not disturb. What is happening in Coco Islands? … Sir, Galwan Valley saw it. My question is whether the dispensation is ready to answer what is happening in the Coco Islands near the Andaman & Nicobar Islands, who is doing it? Why is the Government not taking any action? Is it because the Government came to power in 2017 in Manipur with their help? We know who it is. So, the Government has to be careful. The Government has to answer. We would request the hon. Prime Minister to come and answer this instead of giving us a report card of their performance. Mizoram is following suit. One class of people is being thrown out of Mizoram. What force are we fighting against? How are the sophisticated M-16, AK-47, grenades and self-loaded rifles coming into the hands of the common man? Freely available weapons are going to move throughout the NorthEast and I fear they might find a way into the West Bengal State also. So, we have to be careful about this. Six lakhs of ammunition have been stolen from the police and the State armouries. Was it in connivance with the State Government? Is this an ethnic cleansing operation? What is the master plan to counter it? The Kaladan Project must be given a serious thought. Do you remember the Kaladan Project? More than 4000 arms have been reportedly looted from the armoury. Was that in connivance? Brother is killing brother. Sisters are being bloodied. I will just quote: यह महान दृश्य ह, ै ल िहा मनष्ुय है, अश्रुश्वेत िक्त से, लथपथ लथपथ लथपथ, अचग्नपथ अचग्नपथ अचग्नपथ। INDIA Alliance promises to be with democracy, with federalism, and with respecting the Indian Constitution. तून थकेगा कभी, तून रुकेगा कभी, तून मड़ुेगा कभी, कि शपथ, कि शपथ, कि शपथ, अचग्नपथ अचग्नपथ अचग्नपथ। I quoted Harivansh Rai Bachchan ji. Just remember those words. We in India make a promise to stand by the tortured, for peace. I appeal to all the mothers and sisters, and quote Mulayam ji, an hon. Member who used to sit right here but he is no more with us. He said, ” मा-ूँबहनोंहमलाबोल”। I appeal to all the mothers and sisters of this country, बलात्कािी पि हमला बोल, बेअदबी पि हमला बोल, हत्यािेपि हमला बोल। बेिहमी पि हमला बोल।… बोल मेिी माूँहमला बोल,… ल आसूँ ू पोंछ,… हमला बोल।… बलात्कािी पि हमला बोल।… My mothers and sisters of this country, let your curse burn the tormentor! Mothers, be angry, be very, very angry! Let your eyes be fire and vanquish the tormentors, and the rapists that this Government has failed to punish! Why does the Government not open its mouth? Why does the Government not speak about Manipur? Why is the Government giving a report card? This is not election time. Forget about the elections, talk about Manipur. … This NoConfidence Motion is against this Government for the poor Human Development Index. This No-Confidence Motion against this Government is for the poor media freedom. This No-Confidence Motion is moved because of rising unemployment. This No-Confidence Motion here is due to the increasing price rise. It is due to increasing farmers’ suicides. It is due to the selling of the public sector undertakings. This NoConfidence Motion here is for the divisive forces that are trying to destroy our country. The Government is trying to bring the nation towards complete failure to protect the ethos of India. Is it narcoterrorism that is happening in Manipur? According to Archaeological Survey of India, some very precious metals have been found in the hills of Manipur. Is it to take the corporates right up to Manipur and hand over those precious metals to the corporates? Is the war because of that? … I am quoting the hon. Chief Minister who says that in 2017, the poppy was grown on 1,853 acres of land. As of 2022, the poppy is being grown on 6,743 acres. With whose connivance was it done? Who is supporting them? The hon. Chief Minister himself has said that the problem is due to illegal immigrants. Who are these illegal immigrants? Where are they coming from? Which country is abetting them? Which is the porous border through which they are coming? … Why is the Central Government not closing that border? … And we have to be careful that not only Manipur, as rightly said by hon. Member Gaurav Gogoi Ji yesterday, the total North-East India is lying absolutely vulnerable to the forces that might walk right through that porous border. … That is why, the Kaladan project! … All the seven sisters, all the seven States there are at danger. Why is the Government not taking care of places? Arunachal Pradesh, half of it is gone. Leh, half of it is gone. Galwan Valley, half of it is gone. Why is it happening? Is it because you have taken help of terrorist groups during the elections that you are keeping quiet and you are praying for further elections to take the help of the terrorist groups? The people of India want to know this. … कि हमेंमहफूज़ रखनेिेकिए जो कनगरानी होनी चाकहए थी, देश मेंवहकनगरानी क्यों नहींह, ैइस प्रश्न िा जवाब सरिार िो, सत्तापक्ष िो देना चाकहए। What happened to their attack on the Assam Rifles convoy? Who did it? Who engineered it? Such animosity and hatred are brewed among brothers that have lived together. This cannot be spontaneous and the Government has failed to control it. So, we have no confidence in this Government. … Houses have been burnt, mandirs have been burnt, temples have been burnt, 350 churches have been burnt. So, in the amber glow of the burning hurts, let us seek light, let us pass the No-Confidence against this Government now. Jai Hind! Jai Bharat!
