Amit Shah’s no-trust motion speech topples Parliament’s 58-year-old record

Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s two hours and 13 minutes long speech in response to the no-confidence motion debate broke a 58-year-old record for being the longest speech ever made in Parliament. In his speech, Amit Shah spoke about the Centre’s achievements, slammed the Opposition, and addressed the ongoing violence in Manipur. The home minister broke former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri’s record when he spoke for 2 hours and 12 minutes in a debate on a no-confidence motion in 1965. Amit Shah’s speech is the longest ever in a no-confidence motion debate. The home minister spoke about the BJP-led NDA government’s achievements in nine years and hit out at the Opposition for bringing the no-confidence motion and said only they (Opposition) have no confidence in the government but the people of the country have faith in Prime Minister Modi’s government. Speaking on behalf of the government, Shah in his speech, which broke a 58-year-old record, called the no-confidence motion “politically motivated” and is used to “mislead people”. He spoke about the ongoing ethnic violence in Manipur and said, “No one can support the violence in Manipur, it is shameful, but it’s even more shameful to do politics over it.” On the Opposition’s charge that the Centre is not ready to discuss the issue, Shah said, “I’m ready to discuss Manipur since Day 1, but they are not doing it.” I wrote to the Speaker for a discussion on the violence in Manipur, Shah added. He also slammed Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who spoke earlier in the day, and said he “indulged in drama” when he went to Manipur and insisted on going by road to Churachandpur when he was requested to take a helicopter. “If you think you can trouble the government and people won’t notice, they will,” Shah added. Rahul Gandhi, who opened the debate on Day 2 and said that the BJP has “murdered Bharat Mata in Manipur”, was stopped by the cops when he was going to Bishnupur in Manipur.