On Saturday, Congress, along with ten like-minded parties from Manipur, questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the violence
Posted Date – 12:30 AM, Sun – 6/18/23
Photo: IANS
New Delhi: Congress with ten like-minded parties from Manipur on Saturday questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the violence in the northeastern state, adding that they were waiting for an appointment with him to discuss the issue in depth.
“Ten opposition parties from Manipur are awaiting the appointment of the prime minister. Ten parties, Congress, JD (U ), CPI, CPI(M), Trinamool Congress, AAP, All India Forward Bloc, Shiv Sena (UBT), NCP and Revolutionary Socialist Party have sought appointment with Prime Minister. They are waiting for reply. We expect him to go on June 20 The United States has met with the opposition before.”
All these leaders are waiting in the capital and will meet the Prime Minister by June 20.
Party communications chief Ramesh slammed the BJP government at the centre, saying, “22 years ago on June 18, 2001, Manipur was burning. The bungalow of the Speaker of Parliament, the CM Secretariat was burned and the blockade lasted three years. Years and – half a month. At the request of all parties, the then Prime Minister Vajpayee held two full-party meetings and called for peace.”
“However, today leaders from 10 political parties are waiting to meet Prime Minister Modi, but he remains silent,” said Ramesh, who is also a member of the lower house.
He said an all-party delegation from Manipur met the Prime Minister on June 24, 2001, just six days after the events in the state.
“Before going abroad, the then home minister LK Advani met the all party delegation on July 8, and the prime minister (Vajpayee) reiterated his appeal for calm and help for the government to help restore normalcy,” he said.
Ramesh said that leaders of 10 political parties were here today waiting for an opportunity to meet the prime minister, but he remained silent and did not appeal.
“It’s clear that people don’t have confidence in the state government and we can only hope for help from the central government because the state government has completely failed.” Even after Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Manipur, the situation was nothing different,” he said.
“We ask the prime minister to see Vajpayee’s appeal and meet the delegation. He has to do Manipur ki Baat, not Mann ki Baat,” Ramesh added.
Former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh said Manipur has been burning since May 3 and until today, it continues to burn. “There is a hustle and bustle everywhere, 20,000 people including women and children are taking refuge in camps. However, the Prime Minister has not said anything about Manipur. Does Manipur belong to India? If so, why did the Indian Prime Minister not talk about it? How about? We, 10 like-minded political parties, have prepared a memorandum to advocate for peace.”
“We are not here for political gain, we are just looking for peace. Please help us,” Singh added.
Notably, the devastating ethnic violence that began on May 3 in Manipur and has so far killed more than 120 people and injured more than 400 after a tribal student group in the state’s hills organized a “tribal March in Solidarity” to protest the Scheduled Tribe (ST) state needs of the Meitei community.
