Opposition MPs, govt clash over Manipur at House panel meet

Members of the Opposition protested the Union home ministry’s decision to deliver a presentation on the security situation in the Northeast without mentioning the ongoing violence in Manipur.

Members of the Opposition protested the Union home ministry’s decision to deliver a detailed presentation on the security situation in the Northeast without mentioning the ongoing violence in Manipur, during a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs on Tuesday, according to two officials familiar with the matter.

Charred remains of a house set ablaze allegedly by Kuki militants is pictured at Kangchup village in Imphal West district on Monday. (AFP)

During the meeting, the Opposition also tried to raise the issue of federalism, while a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP raised the issue of post-poll violence in West Bengal to counter the aggressive stance of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the people cited above said.

Union home secretary Govind Mohan on Tuesday delivered a two-hour presentation focussing on the ministry’s achievements and thrust areas, particularly those related to the Northeast, during a meeting of the panel headed by BJP’s Radha Mohan Das Agrawal.

Although the briefing was primarily focused on the MHA’s achievements in the past decade, Opposition leaders questioned the omission of the violence that has gripped Manipur since May last year, where more than 230 people have died and hundreds have been injured.

Tensions in the state escalated further on Monday with an attack on a CRPF post in Jiribam.

The Opposition MPs argued that while the ministry tried to showcase the achievements of various peace deals with militant groups across the Northeast, it ignored the unrest in Manipur. A woman MP from the Opposition pointed out that incidents of atrocities against women, including rape and murder, were not addressed in the presentation.

One Opposition MP told the ministry officials that they will have to “answer a lot of uncomfortable questions” in the next meeting, one of the people cited above said.

In response, a BJP MP attempted to raise the topics of a rape case at RG Kar Hospital and post-poll violence in West Bengal.

Opposition leaders, however, objected and argued that “political issues” should not be discussed at the meeting. The leaders also contended that the RG Kar case is sub-judice, and the Supreme Court is hearing the case and it would not be appropriate to discuss it in the standing committee at this stage.

One Opposition MP alleged that the home secretary “wrapped up the complex issue” of Centre-state relations in just one of the 69 pages in the presentation and demanded a separate, detailed discussion on the issue.