'Sonia, Rahul Gandhi should be tried for treason': BJP's Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore during no-trust debate

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore on Thursday slammed the Congress party and claimed that party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi met with members of the Communist Party of China. Citing this, he said the two Congress leaders should be tried for treason.

"I was in Beijing during 2008 Olympics. We were informed that Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi are coming to meet us. However, no such meeting took place. They had in fact come to meet Communist Party of China. They should be tried for treason," he said during the debate on no-confidence motion moved against the Modi government.

Furthermore, he blamed Congress party saying that it is responsible for the violence that took place in Manipur over the last 40 years.  "They are also responsible for the violence in Kashmir and the militancy in Punjab," Rathore stated.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is replying to the debate regarding the no-confidence motion directed at the BJP-led NDA government today. The motion was opened by Opposition parties of INDIA bloc in order to get PM Modi to speak on the ongoing violence in Manipur. The debate took place on August 8, 9 and 10 in the lower house of the parliament.  

The numbers are comfortably stacked in favour of the government and the Opposition is expected to utilise the opportunity to demonstrate its newly firmed up unity to take on the Modi-led BJP in the Lok Sabha elections next year.

After PM Modi's reply, the Congress party will hold a media briefing. Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi and Jairam Ramesh will address the media.

Earlier, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said that for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Manipur is not part of India. "A few days back, I went to Manipur. Our PM didn't go, not even to this day, because for him Manipur is not India," he said.

Gandhi said this as he initiated the debate on the no-confidence motion moved against the Modi government on the second day.

He also recalled a conversation with a woman whose son was shot dead in Manipur. "I spoke to women and children in Manipur relief camps, which our PM has not done so far," he said. Quoting the woman, he said, "The entire night, I was lying with my son's body. I was scared and I left my home."

He further added, "They have killed Hindustan in Manipur."