E-Paper
Opposition MPs call on Manipur governor with peace plan
The meeting with the governor followed a visit to relief camps in Churachandpur and Bishnupur.
Twenty-one members of Parliament from the Opposition alliance Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance, or INDIA, told Manipur governor Anusuiya Uikey that their findings in the state had established beyond doubt that the state machinery failed to control the situation for close to three months, according to leaders from the delegation that concluded its two-day visit on Sunday.
The MPs — representing 16 political parties —submitted a memorandum to the governor in which they reported the condition on the ground, made suggestions for peace efforts, and rued the “silence of the Prime Minister” over the issue, the leaders added.
The governor welcomed the MPs, and told them that the state and central government were making “relentless efforts” to restore peace and normalcy, officials in Raj Bhavan said.
Since May 3, Manipur has been in the throes of ethnic violence between the Meiteis, the dominant community in the state with 53% of the population that lives largely in the plains, and tribal communities, particularly Kukis who live largely in the hilly areas, that has left at least 150 dead, over 500 injured, and 50,000 displaced.
The meeting with the governor came after the delegation of MPs visited relief camps in Churachandpur and Bishnupur. “From the reports of incessant firing and arson of houses in the last few days, it is established beyond doubt that the state machinery has completely failed to control the situation for the last almost three months,” they wrote in a memorandum submitted to Uikey.
A continued ban on mobile internet, and broadband internet allowed with riders only last week, they said, aided unsubstantiated rumours and fuelled existing mistrust between communities.
Also read: Manipur cops crack down on fake news
“The silence of Hon’ble Prime Minister shows his brazen indifference to the violence in Manipur,” they added in their memorandum. To be sure, Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke briefly about the situation in Manipur outside Parliament on July 20, condemning a horrific May 4 incident — in which three women were stripped and paraded, and one of them was also allegedly gang-raped and her brother murdered — a day after a video of the incident emerged.
The Manipur issue has roiled the ongoing session of Parliament with the Opposition asking for a detailed speech from the Prime Minister, and even pushing a no-confidence motion that they have little chance of numerically winning. The BJP, meanwhile, has accused the Opposition of using the Manipur issue to stall business in Parliament, and for ignoring crimes against women in Opposition-led states.
“We earnestly request you to restore peace and harmony taking all effective measures, where justice should be the cornerstone. In order to bring peace and harmony, rehabilitation and resettlement of the affected persons is most urgent,” the MPs told the governor.
The memorandum to the governor, signed by all 21 MPs said, “You are also requested to apprise the Union government of the complete breakdown of law and order in Manipur for the last 89 days so as to enable them to intervene in the precarious situation in Manipur to restore peace and normalcy.”
Officials at Manipur’s Raj Bhavan said that Uikey told them that the Centre and the state were making relentless efforts to normalise the situation. “The mistrust between the two communities and the hatred among the communities has to be removed and therefore all stakeholders should work in this direction peacefully,” officials said the governor conveyed to the parliamentarians.
Speaking to reporters on Sunday, Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Choudhury said: “The situation in Manipur was overlooked. It is because the state and the central governments turned a deaf ear to the plight of the people here that the situation in the state is worsening. Peace should be restored at the earliest, as it is the key to ensuring communal harmony and social justice.”
On the question of an all-party meeting over the issue, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said that they were open to being part of a delegation led by the Prime Minister. “We have always said that if the Prime Minister wants to lead an all-party delegation here, we would be happy to be a part of it. After all, we all want peace to return to Manipur at the earliest,” he said.
The opposition has been asking for an all-party meeting since June, around the time Union home minister Amit Shah had first visited the state. This demand was renewed on Saturday, with Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi asking for the PM to lead an all-party delegation to Manipur.
RJD MP Manoj Jha said, “We want peace to be restored in Manipur. Peace with justice. Our only demand is that both communities should live in harmony. The situation in Manipur is dangerous.”
The BJP, meanwhile, attacked the Opposition for being selective in its outrage.
West Bengal state president Sukanta Majumdar said, “This is nothing but a political tour. They should visit West Bengal and meet the victims from Malda and Cooch Behar. The incident that took place in Manipur is above politics. Opposition should sit and discuss this issue in the Parliament.”
Union minister Anurag Thakur said, “We have been ready to discuss the Manipur issue since day one. Home minister Amit Shah also invited a discussion over the same. My first question is why the Opposition is running away from this. Second, I want to ask the opposition to share the experiences of their two-day visit to Manipur and take part in the discussion.”
