MNF MP K Vanlalvena Miffed At Switched-Off Mic In Rajya Sabha; Expunging Of Remarks On Manipur

NEW DELHI: K Vanlalvena, a Member of Parliament of Mizo National Front (MNF), an ally of NDA, expressed his ire on the fact that his microphone was switched off when he gave a counter reply to Amit Shah during a speech in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.

Mizoram MP K Vanlalvena claimed that his mic was switched off by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankar while he was sought to correct Amit Shah’s wrong remarks relating to the Manipur issue and opposed calling the 'tribal people of Manipur as Myanmarese'. He described himself as a tribal but an Indian citizen since the days of the British.

MP K Vanlalvena took to X (formerly Twitter), to say his mic was switched off during his speech on the Manipur issue.

Earlier on Thursday, he had said that his party would back the opposition’s no-confidence motion against the Centre on the Manipur issue. He also sought to explain that the MNF continued to be an ally of the NDA and extend support to the Modi government but was only backing the Opposition bloc INDIA's no-confidence motion due to the move being based on the Manipur issue.

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar is said to have ordered to expunge the speech of Vanlalvena, saying that it would not go on record.

The entire incident happened amidst the Opposition demanding a discussion on Manipur under Rule 167. Amid uproarious scenes in the Rajya Sabha, mainly caused by opposition MPs, the MNF MP stood up to speak on the situation in Manipur and referred to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's speech during the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

It should be noted that Amit Shah had referred to the unchecked infiltration from Myanmar into Mizoram after the coup by the military junta there and sought to blame the refugees for the Manipur violence.

"I raised Manipur issue at Parliament session today's afternoon ie The 10th Aug 2023 .Hon'ble Chairman switched it off my microphone while I just began to speak. I continued my speech without microphone in the midst roarings of Opp MP's," the MNF MP said in a post on X.

In the meantime, RS Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar did not allow him, although the entire opposition raised their voices in unison to support the MNF MP. Some of the members also ventured into the Well of the House, raising slogans. Amid the uproar, Dhankhar took the easy way out by adjourning the House for the day and ordered that Vanlalvena's speech would not go on record.

MNF MP Vanlalvena told the Rajya Sabha: "I am from the state of Mizoram. I am a tribal MP. The Honorable Home Minister said that the tribal people in Manipur are Myanmarese. We are not Myanmarese. We are Indian. We have been living here before the British administration."

"We have been living here for 200 years, before the British expedition to India. We had been living many years in the Northeast before Indian Independence. We are not foreigners. We are the real owners of the Northeast since many years," Vanlalvena added.

Vanlalvena said that it has never even happened in Communist countries. He further went on to question if that meant that we’re still a secular state after over 300 churches have been burned down. “The hill areas of the Northeast belong to the tribal people and we must defend them," he asserted.

He also explained that the Kuki-zo tribes in Manipur are part of the Mizo community. “The troubles in Manipur state have not been created by the Myanmarese refugees but by the Centre and state governments. This was violence that was pre-planned by the Manipur government," he alleged.

On his stand on the no-trust motion, despite his party being part of NDA, Vanlalvena said, "As far as the no-confidence motion is concerned, the MNF supports this no-confidence motion. But let me be clear, we support the no-confidence motion only on the issue of Manipur. Outside of that, we continue to be part of the NDA, and continue to support the Centre."

Also Read: Indian Criminal Laws To Be Replaced By Newer Versions; Death Penalty Retained

Also Watch: