FACING Opposition heat and a no-confidence motion over a video capturing sexual assault on tribal women in Manipur, the Modi government has decided to hand over the probe in the case to the CBI. Union Home Minister Amit Shah told a group of journalists that the government would also urge the Supreme Court to shift the trial in the case outside Manipur, to Assam – with PTI reporting this could happen as early as Friday – in a bid to further defuse the situation. The government's assurances came a day after the Opposition INDIA bloc moved a non-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, in a bid to get Prime Minister Narendra Modi to speak on the Manipur situation in the House; and the same day as INDIA announced that a group of MPs from its constituent parties would go to Manipur to take stock of the situation. On Friday, the Supreme Court is also set to take up pleas concerning the Manipur violence. On July 20, the Court had observed that it was "deeply disturbed" by the video of two women being paraded naked in Manipur, and asked the Centre and Manipur government to take immediate remedial action. The same day, Modi had made his first statement on the state since the crisis began on May 3. Friday will find the PM back in Gujarat, as part of his two-day visit to the state. On Thursday, he inaugurated a number of projects, including an international airport near Rajkot city, water schemes for Saurashtra region, an over-bridge and a library. On Friday, Modi will inaugurate a 'Semicon India 2023' exhibition in Gandhinagar, showcasing “cutting edge technology related to semiconductors”. The Modi government has been pushing for the country to become a crucial part of the semiconductor supply chain, accusing previous regimes of ignoring this field. Friday will also be a busy day in the calendar of Shah, who after fire fighting on behalf of the government on Manipur, will be in Tamil Nadu to launch a six-month-long padayatra by the BJP, 'En Mann, En Makkal' or 'My Land, My People'. The 1,770-km march, which will cover all the 39 Assembly constituencies in the state, will be launched from Rameswaram on Friday evening and will rally support for a third term for Modi as PM, BJP state president K Annamalai said. The yatris will be carrying about one lakh copies of the book What Did Modi Do, to distribute among the people. In 2019, the DMK-led alliance had swept 37 of the 38 seats for which polling was held. In his South Compass column Friday, Arun Janardhanan will explore the future of another party in Tamil Nadu's changing politics – the PMK. A recent emotional letter by S Ramadoss to party cadres was as much a rallying of his troops as a reminder that yet another political veteran of the state was entering his winter. Also watch out for The Neerja Chowdhury Column, where she brings her insight of covering the last 10 Lok Sabha elections to the events of today. Last week, she wrote about Sonia Gandhi shepherding the Opposition unity meeting, explaining why it was as interesting as the emergence of INDIA as the name for the group. A lot can happen in seven days – the attention has since moved on to Manipur, and Parliament. With inputs from PTI
