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26 INDIA leaders to begin two-day Manipur visit tomorrow
At least 150 people have died and over 50,000 have been displaced.
The INDIA alliance will send a delegation comprising representatives of all its constituent parties to Manipur to meet “the stakeholders” on July 29 and 30, alliance leaders said on Thursday. The non-BJP alliance’s first visit to Manipur comes after their protest in Parliament.
“INDIA MPs’ team to visit Manipur on July 29 and 30. Parties who don’t have MPs will send other representatives,” said Congress leader Manickam Tagore.
This will be the first delegation of the INDIA alliance to the state that has been gripped by ethnic clashes – primarily between the tribal Kukis, which mostly reside in the hill districts, and majority Meiteis, the dominant community in Imphal Valley – since May 3.
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At least 150 people have died and over 50,000 have been displaced. Clashes first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after Kuki groups called for protests against a proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting Scheduled Tribe (ST) status to the Meitei community.
Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien said, “The delegation will meet people in both the valley and the hill regions of the state. The INDIA delegation will meet different communities living in Manipur and also visit some relief camps.”
In the past, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and delegations by Left and Trinamool have visited Manipur.
This visit assumes importance as the alliance has expressed serious concerns over the Manipur situation in its meeting in Bengaluru and moved a no-confidence motion over the issue in the ongoing Monsoon session of Parliament.
The delegation of more than 20 opposition MPs will visit Manipur this weekend and will take a first-hand account of the situation in the state, Congress whip in Lok Sabha Manickam Tagore told news agency PTI.
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Leaders indicated that one MP each from the INDIA bloc parties or their representatives were expected to be part of the delegation. TMC’s Sushmita Dev, JMM’s Mahua Maji and NCP’s Vandana Chavan are likely to be part of the delegation. Earlier, the Opposition bloc had wanted a delegation of chief ministers to visit the state but the idea was dropped due to logistical issues, the leaders cited above said.
The Congress is likely to send its MP Gaurav Gogoi, who has moved the no-confidence motion against the government, to Manipur.
On Thursday, the Opposition parties wore black attire in protest and four parties – the Congress, RJD, Trinamool and BRS – boycotted the Business Advisory Committee meeting called by Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar.
Some senior Opposition leaders also met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek an early schedule for the debate on the no-confidence motion.A
