India's top opposition leader unleashed a strong condemnation Wednesday of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government for its failure to control bloodshed in a remote northeastern state that he said has been split in two.
Rahul Gandhi told Parliament that the army should have been able to stop the bloodshed already. But despite the presence of troops in Manipur, the violence has festered for over three months. More than 150 people have died in Manipur and over 50,000 people have fled in fear since clashes erupted in early May.
"The army can restore peace in a day. You are not using the army," Gandhi said, and called for the firing of the state government run by Modi's Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party.
Gandhi, who was reinstated as a lawmaker three days after the country's top court halted his criminal defamation conviction for mocking the prime minister's surname, was participating in a debate on a no-confidence motion moved by the opposition against the Modi government in the lower house of India's Parliament. A vote is expected on Thursday.
Gandhi accused the Modi government of killing the spirit of India in Manipur state by silencing people's voices. He also accused Modi of choosing silence while Manipur state burned creating a situation of civil war.
That led to an uproar as Modi's party objected to Gandhi's criticisms. Kiren Rijiju, Minister of Earth Sciences, demanded an apology.