Rahul Gandhi accuses Modi govt of pushing Manipur into 'civil war'
New Delhi, Jul 1: Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government on Monday of pushing Manipur into a "civil war" due to its policies and politics.
The Congress leader also criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the the state since ethnic violence broke out there.
Initiating the debate on behalf of the opposition in the Lok Sabha on the Motion of Thanks for the president's address, Gandhi alleged that the government is behaving as if nothing has happened in Manipur.
"You have immersed Manipur into a civil war. Manipur has been burnt by you, your policies and your politics," he said.
The Congress leader said it seems as if Manipur is not an Indian state. "For the prime minister, there is no state of Manipur. We urged the prime minister to give a message, to go there. But no. You cannot get a reply (from the prime minister)," he said.
Gandhi also referred to the plight of the women in the northeastern state. Responding to a remark from the treasury benches, he said "you do not include women in your organisation, but I can speak about them".
Manipur has been on the boil since May last year as ethnic violence broke out in the state after a march was organised by Kuki tribals in the hill districts to protest against the valley-dominant Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
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Another North Goa nightclub sealed; Kejriwal says corruption led to fire tragedy
Panaji (PTI): As part of a crackdown against tourist establishments violating laws and safety norms in the aftermath of the Arpora fire tragedy, Goa authorities on Saturday sealed a renowned club at Vagator and revoked the fire department NOC of another club.
Cafe CO2 Goa, located on a cliff overlooking the Arabian Sea at Vagator beach in North Goa, was sealed. The move came two days after Goya Club, also in Vagator, was shut down for alleged violations of rules.
Elsewhere, campaigning for local body polls, AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal said the fire incident at Birch by Romeo Lane nightclub at Arpora, which claimed 25 lives on December 6, happened because the BJP government in the state was corrupt.
An inspection of Cafe CO2 Goa by a state government-appointed team revealed that the establishment, with a seating capacity of 250, did not possess a no-objection certificate (NOC) of the Fire and Emergency Services Department. The club, which sits atop Ozrant Cliff, also did not have structural stability, the team found.
The Fire and Emergency Services on Saturday also revoked the NOC issued to Diaz Pool Club and Bar at Anjuna as the fire extinguishers installed in the establishment were found to be inadequate, said divisional fire officer Shripad Gawas.
A notice was issued to Nitin Wadhwa, the partner of the club, he said in the order.
Campaigning at Chimbel village near Panaji in support of his party's Zilla Panchayat election candidate, Aam Aadmi Party leader Kejriwal said the nightclub fire at Arpora happened because of the "corruption of the Pramod Sawant-led state government."
"Why this fire incident happened? I read in the newspapers that the nightclub had no occupancy certificate, no building licence, no excise licence, no construction licence or trade licence. The entire club was illegal but still it was going on," he said.
"How could it go on? Couldn't Pramod Sawant or anyone else see it? I was told that hafta (bribe) was being paid," the former Delhi chief minister said.
A person can not work without bribing officials in the coastal state, Kejriwal said, alleging that officers, MLAs and even ministers are accepting bribes.
