Manipur burns, EU Parliament discusses it but PM hasn't said a word: Rahul Gandhi
New Delhi (PTI): Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the situation in Manipur and the European Parliament discussing it, saying he has not uttered a word on either of these.
Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who has been attacking the government over its handling of the situation in Manipur, also slammed the Centre.
Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said, "Manipur burns. EU Parliament discusses India's internal matter. PM hasn't said a word on either!"
"Meanwhile, Rafale gets him a ticket to the Bastille Day Parade," he added.
Targeting the Centre, Ramesh said, "In January 1977 Richard Nelson a noted economist at Yale University published a very influential essay called The Moon and the Ghetto. It became required reading for people like me in graduate school. Nelson poses the question: why is it that a technologically dynamic America is able to land man on the moon but is unable to meaningfully address its problems at home especially in the inner cities."
"It is a deeply thought-provoking analysis not without its relevance to us too," the Congress leader said.
"We can go to the moon but are unable or unwilling to deal with the basic issues our people face at home. An Indian version of the Nelson essay may read, The Moon and Manipur," Ramesh added.
India on Thursday described as a reflection of a "colonial mindset" a resolution adopted at the European Parliament on the situation in Manipur.
External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said such interference in India's internal affairs is "unacceptable".
Manipur has been witnessing violent clashes, especially between the Kuki and the Meitei communities for close to two months. Opposition parties have accused the government of failing to contain the violence.
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RS Chairman accepts merger of 7 AAP MPs with BJP
New Delhi (PTI): Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan on Monday officially accepted the merger of seven Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) MPs with the BJP, reducing the strength of Arvind Kejriwal's party in the Upper House to three.
After this transition, the BJP's strength in the Upper House has increased to 113.
Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Harbhajan Singh, Sandeep Pathak, Vikramjit Sahney, Swati Maliwal, and Rajinder Gupta are the seven MPs who have merged.
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The Rajya Sabha website now shows that the seven MPs are part of the BJP list of members.
The seven MPs had on Friday petitioned the Rajya Sabha Chairman to be treated as BJP MPs after the merger and the same has been accepted, sources said.
The AAP had on Sunday moved a petition before the RS Chairman seeking the termination of the membership of the seven MPs, who had switched sides.
Aam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh said he has submitted a petition to Chairman Radhakrishnan seeking the disqualification of the seven party MPs in the Upper House, who recently quit the AAP and announced their merger with the BJP.
On Friday last, the AAP suffered a jolt when the seven Rajya Sabha MPs quit and announced merger with the BJP, alleging that the Kejriwal-led party had strayed from its principles, values and core morals.
