Barbs fly as no-trust debate heats up

Who does he listen to: Rahul launches sharp attack on PM

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NEW DELHI: In his first speech after reinstatement in the Lok Sabha, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Wednesday that the idea of "Mother India", or Bharat Mata, has been destroyed in Manipur and accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of not listening to the voice of the people.

Referring to the Ramayana, Gandhi said that Lanka was not burnt by Hanuman but due to the arrogance of Ravana, implying that the arrogance of the government was leading to violence across the country. He alleged that the ruling dispensation has been "sprinkling kerosene all across the country" to burn it.

Gandhi's speech got a sharp rebuttal from Union minister Smriti Irani, who slammed the Opposition leader for talking ill about "Mother India" and argued that in the history of the Lok Sabha, such expressions had never been used.