Congress MP Praniti Shinde Criticizes Prime Minister’s Insensitivity Towards Manipur Issue

Image Source : Screen Grab / Video / Indian National Congress – FB.

Dated 3rd July 2024

By B R Abdul Wajid

Chief Political Editor

New Delhi: In a recent media address, Praniti Shinde, Congress MP from Solapur Lok Sabha Constituency, Maharashtra, expressed her disappointment over Prime Minister’s handling of the ongoing Manipur crisis.

“Yesterday, we witnessed the Prime Minister’s gross insensitivity and lack of empathy towards the burning issue of Manipur, which has persisted for so long,” Shinde remarked. She referred to the Prime Minister’s response to the Presidential address, highlighting an incident where Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition, was denied the opportunity to speak.

“Just as the Prime Minister began his speech, Rahul Gandhi Ji, as the Leader of Opposition, raised his hand to speak. It is the second most important position after the Leader of the House, which is the Prime Minister. However, he was denied this opportunity. It has never happened before that the Leader of Opposition’s microphone has been switched off.” she added.

Shinde pointed out that during Congress’s tenure, the opposition leader’s microphone was always on, underscoring the unprecedented nature of this act. “For the first time in the country’s history, the Leader of Opposition’s microphone was switched off. He was denied permission by the Hon’ble Speaker to speak on the issue of Manipur. This in itself is an act of insensitivity and lack of empathy towards Manipur.” Shinde stated.

She further criticized the Prime Minister for continuing his speech despite the situation. “We, as part of the India alliance, have always stood by the people of Manipur. We repeatedly asked the Speaker for just 60 seconds to bring the issue of Manipur to the Prime Minister’s attention. Either he is unaware of the problems in Manipur, doesn’t want to face them, or is reluctant to visit the state.” she asserted.

“The Prime Minister doesn’t belong to a particular party when he is representing the country. He belongs to the entire nation. The least we expected from him was sensitivity towards the issues in Manipur, especially when so many lives have been lost and women have been paraded naked. We merely sought 60 seconds to voice our concerns, but even that was denied.” Shinde concluded.

VIDEO | Praniti Shinde, Congress MP addressing the media in New Delhi. Video Source – Indian National Congress – FB.