A viral video features Union Home Minister Amit Shah discussing Manipur, with claims suggesting he expresses his party’s stance on the violence in the region. Shah is heard stating in the video, “Our concern lies not with Manipur but with elections. We are not concerned with democracy, our party lacks principles. In politics, our sole focus is winning elections.” This article aims to fact-check the claim associated with the video.
Claim: Amit Shah – Our party prioritizes elections over concerns for Manipur.
Fact: In August 2023, during a debate on the Delhi services bill, Amit Shah directed these remarks towards the attitude of the opposition alliance. Shah emphasized that the opposition’s main priority was to protect their coalition rather than prioritize democracy or the welfare of the nation. The incomplete speech of Amit Shah has been taken out of context, falsely implying that he admitted his party’s lack of concern for Manipur. Hence, the claim made in the post is FALSE.
While the viral video does capture Home Minister Amit Shah’s remarks made during a parliamentary discussion, it is important to note that Shah did not articulate his party’s position on the violence in Manipur. Instead, he made these statements to illustrate the attitude of the opposition alliance.
A relevant keyword search on YouTube led us to Amit Shah’s parliamentary speech where he delivered these remarks. In August 2023, during a discussion on the ‘Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi (Amendment) Bill, 2023’, Amit Shah made these statements, taking a dig at the opposition alliance and highlighting their attitude.
The bill was intended to substitute an ordinance issued for managing the transfers and appointments of senior officers within the Delhi government. Nonetheless, the opposition alliance voiced opposition to the bill and eventually staged a walkout from parliament. It is in this backdrop that Amit Shah made these remarks, elucidating the stance of the opposition alliance, suggesting that their coalition would disintegrate once the bill is enacted.
Shah asserted that the opposition’s primary concern was safeguarding their alliance rather than upholding democracy or the nation’s welfare. He highlighted their absence during the passage of other bills and insinuated that the bill in question threatened their ally, AAP, suggesting that Kejriwal would distance himself from the opposition once the bill passed. At the 12-minute mark in the video, Amit Shah can be heard saying the words as in the viral video.
A loose translation of Amit Shah’s Hindi speech conveys the sentiment: “Once the bill to disrupt the alliance emerged, they conveniently forgot about Manipur, democracy, and even the riots. Everyone has gathered and is proclaiming in front of the 1.3 billion people that we are not concerned about Manipur, but about elections. Democracy doesn’t concern us, our party lacks principles. We are in politics solely to win elections.”
Other news reports covering Amit Shah’s statements can be accessed here and here. Therefore, it can be inferred that an incomplete video of Amit Shah’s speech has been taken out of context, falsely suggesting that he conceded his party’s indifference towards Manipur while prioritizing elections.
To sum it up, selective excerpts from Amit Shah’s speech are taken out of context, falsely suggesting the party’s apathy towards Manipur.
