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On day of Rahul Gandhi's Manipur visit, student union questions ‘blunders’ by Congress
Noting that Rahul Gandhi was visiting Manipur, AMSU said, “If the party is not answerable, there is no point of their presence in Manipur.”
On the day Congress leader Rahul Gandhi began his two-day Manipur visit, the All Manipur Students Union issued a statement saying that the violence in the state was a result of “blunders” committed by previous governments, especially the Congress party.
Secretary General of All Manipur Students Union (AMSU), during a press conference, said on Thursday, “The present communal crisis in Manipur is a result of the political blunders that have been committed by the successive governments that have ruled Manipur over time and Congress has a big role to play. In 2012, the Congress party deleted four Gram Panchayats and one Zila Parishad constituency which were part of the Imphal West district from the Manipur Panchayati Raj system and they were allotted to come under the autonomous district council of Kangopi district. It had further enhanced the dreamland of Kuki nation state.”
He further said questioned the Congress on why the Panchayati raj system was removed from some areas in Imphal west.
Noting that Gandhi was visiting Manipur, he further said, “We think that he [Rahul Gandhi] is answerable as the leader of the Congress party…and if the party is not answerable, there is no point of their presence in Manipur.”
Rahul Gandhi on Thursday was stopped by Manipur Police about 20 kilometres from Imphal near Bishnupur as the police feared violence along the route. After arriving in Imphal, Rahul Gandhi was on his way to Churachandpur where his convoy was stopped. At Churachandpur, Rahul Gandhi was scheduled to meet those displaced by the ethnic clashes in the state at a camp.
He also said that if the Congress party did not respond, the AMSU would boycott all the party leaders in Manipur and all national Congress leaders visiting the state.
Further he appealed “all the political parties, cutting across party lines and civil society organisations, student organisations, women organisations, community organisations and all the responsible stakeholders in Manipur not to create division and take political advantage”.
He added that people should take “creative and constructive steps forward and join hands together” to bring inclusive peace in Manipur.
AMSU general secretary ended the press conference by appealing to the Indian government to not bring President's rule in Manipur. He said, “The present chief minister in Manipur should not be changed and there should be no double administration in Manipur, and I’m sure that we will take the right measures to safeguard or age-old historical identity and political identity which our forefathers had got it for many millennia.”
BJP leaders on AMSU Statement
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) IT Cell head Amit Malviya, responding to AMSU's statement, said, “In a massive loss of face, All Manipur Students Union, on the eve of Rahul Gandhi’s malafide visit to Manipur, releases a statement blaming the Congress for creating (in 2012) all the problems Manipur is facing…It should have been embarrassing but then Rahul is incorrigible.”
BJP Tripura secretary took to Twitter to respond to AMSU conference saying, “In anticipation of Rahul Gandhi's visit to Manipur, the All Manipur Students Union has issued a statement attributing the Congress party with the responsibility for the various challenges that Manipur currently confronts, dating back to 2012. Very shameful for @INCIndia!”
BJP leader Priti Gandhi said, “Hours before Rahul Gandhi's politically motivated visit to Manipur, 'All Manipur Students Union' has released a statement blaming the Congress for creating the problems that Manipur is facing today. Over to you, @RahulGandhi!!”
North East Students' Organisation questions PM Modi's silence
The North East Students' Organisation (NESO) on June 23 questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence over violence in Manipur.
“The PM must end this silence and take result-oriented steps. This silence is proving his lack of sense of responsibility towards the region,” NESO president Samuel Jyrwa and secretary-general Mutsikhoyo Yhobo said last Friday.
NESO's chief advisor Samujjal Bhattacharjya said, “Both the state and central governments have failed to control the violence. It didn't stop even after the visit of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.”
Along with AMSU, the representatives of All Assam Students' Union, Karbi Students' Union, Garo Students' Union, All Arunachal Pradesh Students' Union, Naga Students' Federation, Tripura Students' Federation and Mizo Zirlai Pawl were present at the meeting.
Manipur violence
At least 115 people have died in the clashes that first broke out on May 3 in Churachandpur town after tribal Kuki groups called for protests against a court-proposed tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting scheduled tribe (ST) status to the majority Meitei community.
Violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders.
The authorities clamped a curfew and suspended internet, pumping in additional security forces to force a break in the spiralling clashes.
