Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Tuesday in his Independence Day speech that the entire country is with the people of Manipur and supports efforts to restore peace in the state.

“In the past few weeks, there was a wave of violence in the North East, particularly in Manipur,” Modi said in his address from the Red Fort in Delhi. “Many people lost their lives, and our mothers and daughters were dishonoured. But in the past few days, there have been reports of peace in the region.”

Modi said that the Centre and state government are working together to find solutions to the problems in the state.

“The country is with the people of Manipur,” he said. “The peace that has been restored over the past few days must be continued. The path for a solution will only be found through peace.”

Modi also made a reference to Manipur while speaking about the need to foster unity across India.

“When I talk about unity...an event takes place in Manipur, and the pain is felt in Maharashtra,” he said. “When floods take place in Assam, there is disquiet in Kerala.”

At least 187 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 have been forced to flee their homes since violence broke out between the Kuki and Meitei communities in the Northeastern state on May 3. Opposition parties have blamed the Centre and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led state government for failing to control the violence.

Throughout the Monsoon Session that ended on August 11, the Opposition had been holding protests demanding that Modi speak in Parliament about the situation in Manipur. The prime minister briefly spoke about the subject in the Lok Sabha on August 10 in a speech that lasted for over two hours.

Modi’s first reference to the violence-hit state in the Lok Sabha came after 90 minutes and once the Opposition MPs staged a walkout. He said that efforts were underway to punish those accused of violence, and assured the people that there would be peace in Manipur in the near future.

On the next day, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi criticised the prime minister for laughing and cracking jokes in Parliament at a time when violence has been raging in Manipur.

India will be among top 3 economies in five years

During his Independence Day speech on Tuesday, Modi also reiterated his assurance that India will be among the world’s top three economies in the next five years.

The prime minister had first made the statement on July 26 while speaking at an event in Delhi.

On Tuesday, Modi said: “In 2014, we were at the tenth place in the world economy. Today, the hard work of 140 crore citizens has borne fruit, and we have become the fifth-largest economy in the world. This happened because we stopped leakages, built a strong economy and spent as much money as possibly on the welfare of the poor.”

Modi also claimed that India’s efforts at containing inflation have been more successful compared to earlier times. “However, we should not derive satisfaction from this,” he said. “We need to do more, we need to fight more.”

Speech filled with distortions: Congress

The Congress on Tuesday said that Modi’s Independence Day speech was “crass” and filled with distortions, lies, exaggerations and vague promises.

“Instead of bringing the country together, to celebrate our journey so far, acknowledge the pain and anguish of those suffering, and accept the challenges ahead, he made it all about himself and his image,” Congress General Secretary (Communications) Jairam Ramesh said.

Ramesh said the prime minister barely addressed the violence in Manipur and casually compared it with incidents in other parts of the country.

“He [Modi] showed no sorrow or acknowledgement of the abject failures which have led to Manipur turning into a war zone,” the Congress leader said. “He brazenly claimed that ‘Bharat Mata’ is being rejuvenated in ‘Amrit Kaal’ – when the whole nation has witnessed her fate in Manipur where women are being brutally violated.”

Ramesh also said that Modi claimed that a new world order has been ushered in as the world saw India’s capability during the Covid-19 pandemic, but added that the prime minister “deliberately failed to mention inadequate oxygen supplies and the failure to order adequate vaccines in a timely manner”.

He added that due to this, India ended up with 40 lakh Covid deaths – the world’s highest death toll, according to the World Health Organization.

Ramesh said the world has not forgotten the bodies piled up outside hospitals and flowing down Ganga river during the second wave of the pandemic.

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