"Hope he answers questions...": Congress ahead of PM's reply on no-confidence motion

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Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's reply on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha today, Congress MP Manickam Tagore said that they (Opposition) hope that the PM answers the questions raised by Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi on the first day of the motion, reported news agency ANI.

"From July 20, the I.N.D.I.A. alliance has been demanding that the PM must come to the Parliament, speak about Manipur and give a statement of peace and solidarity with the people there. It has taken 14 days for the Prime Minister to come to Parliament...Now, we hope that he answers the question raised by the mover Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi..." said Tagore while speaking to ANI.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be replying to the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha today, as confirmed by Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.

Notably, on the first day of the discussion on the no-confidence motion moved by the opposition, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to accept that his double-engine government in Manipur has failed.

â¿¿Why did he not visit Manipur to date? Why did it take almost 80 days to finally speak on Manipur and when he did speak it was just for 30 seconds? Why has the Chief Minister not been sacked the Manipur CM so far?," Gogoi asked.

Furthermore, Revolutionary Socialist Party MP N. K. Premachandran, speaking to ANI, said, "We are not expecting much from the Prime Minister because from yesterday's reply by the Union Home Minsiter, it is very clear that they are not answering to the specific queries raised by the opposition...".

"The Union government failed miserably in handling the Manipur violence...As the core issue was ignored by the Union Home Minister in yesterday's reply, we are anticipating a similar reply from the Prime Minister also..." added Premachandran.Â

In an apparent jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Amit Shah on Wednesday said that Wayanad MP has been launched 13 times but has failed every single time.

"There is one member in this House who has been launched 13 times in politics. This member failed all 13 times. I have seen one launching when he went to meet a poor lady named Kalavati. But what did you do for her? House, ration, electricity was provided to her by Modi government," Amit Shah said.

Shah was speaking in the Lok Sabha during a debate on the no-confidence motion.

However, Shah also appealed to the people of Manipur with 'folded hands' for an end to the three-month-long cycle of violence in the state and urged Kuki and Meitei communities to hold talks saying violence cannot be a solution to any problem.

Meanwhile, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) MP Manoj Kumar Jha also spoke to ANI ahead of the PM's reply in the lower house, Jha said, "The no-confidence motion was not brought for numbers. We know that you (NDA) have the majority. We are hoping to hear a word from you (PM Narendra Modi) on Manipur. Manipur has been impatiently waiting to hear from the PM. It has been burning for three months".

"I just hope that the PM does not dig up the past like the Union Home Minister did yesterday and does not start with Nehru (Former Prime Minister Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru)", the RJD MP added.

(ANI)