Congress demands home minister Amit Shah’s resignation over Manipur violence
The Congress asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur and call an all-party meeting ahead of the Parliament session that starts on November 25 to restore peace and normalcy in the state
New Delhi: The Congress party on Monday demanded the resignations of Union home minister Amit Shah and Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh over the continuing violence in the northeastern state that has been torn apart in ethnic clashes since May last year and asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the state and call an all-party meeting ahead of the Parliament session that starts on November 25 to restore peace and normalcy.
“The Prime Minister had outsourced Manipur to the Union home minister. The singular achievement of the home minister is to protect the Manipur chief minister (Biren Singh). The home minister has not protected the innocent people, the innocent women and children of Manipur. He should take the responsibility and resign,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh said at a press conference in Delhi on Monday.
“From May 3, 2023 Manipur has been on fire. PM has visited various countries across the world but has not found any time to visit Manipur. Our first demand is for the PM to visit Manipur before the Parliament session, meet political parties, relief camps,” Ramesh added.
K Meghachandra Singh, the Congress state unit chief, said, “There is no law and order, no normal human activities in the state. Abduction of innocent civilians and killing—particularly women, children and infants, are increasing. Now, rampant extortions are happening.”
“PM Modi said in 2017 election rally that “Those who can’t ensure peace in Manipur, have no right to govern.” I want to ask him, is the double engine government able to maintain law and order? Without Manipur, India can’t be the full Union of India. Now, Manipur has become a forgotten state in Modi’s India,” Singh added.
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Girish Chodankar, AICC in-charge for Manipur said, “The violence is the tragic by-product of double engine sarkar. It failed to protect, and people are frustrated, and the state has become headless. Retail inflation has crossed 10%. There is a massive job loss, national highway blocking has crossed all limits. People have started attacking Opposition politicians. This is a complete failure of PM and CM.”
Meghachandra Singh maintained that “the current CM has no right to continue” and Ramesh said, “This is an unusual partnership between HM and the incompetent CM. HM is trying to save him. Why HM is backtracking on the issue of removing the CM?”
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The Congress party also pointed out that from July 31, 2024, there has been no full-time governor in Manipur and questioned why a tribal woman (Anusuiya Uikey) was removed just 18 months after she took charge of Manipur.
The Party also reminded the government that the Supreme Court has observed that all constitutional machinery has collapsed in Manipur. “Why is the CM still sitting despite the SC observation?” questioned Ramesh.
Pointing out the recent spate of violence, Singh said, “All sections of people are suffering. The dignity of the lives of civilians has gone. Lives are under threat. The recent incidents including that in Jiribam shows women, daughters and babies are not safe. This anarchy by this double engine government is very serious. I demand the PM must visit Manipur.”
Meanwhile, home minister Amit Shah is due to chair a meeting on the situation in Manipur on Monday, after holding an emergency meeting with senior security officials the previous day. Chief minister Biren Singh is scheduled to meet Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmakers at 6pm amid reports of brewing dissent within the ruling party.
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