New Delhi: As many as 10 opposition parties Tuesday released a six-point memorandum that they have submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), criticising PM Narendra Modi “for not granting them an appointment” over the ethnic violence engulfing Manipur.
They also held the Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments at the Centre and state responsible for the situation in Manipur, stating they had “failed to contain the ongoing violence”.
The 10 parties, which include the Janata Dal (United), Trinamool Congress and Aam Aadmi Party, led by the Congress, had submitted the memorandum to the PMO on 10 June and sought an appointment with Modi to meet and discuss the Manipur conflict.
PM Modi Tuesday left for a state visit to the US.
Speaking to the media at the Congress headquarters, party representatives said the PM not granting them time and leaving for the US showed that the BJP-led central government was ignoring the Manipur crisis.
Senior Congress leader and former Manipur chief minister O. Ibobi Singh hit out at the PM.
“We feel as if we have no work in our tiny state. As a citizen of this country, we are waiting here to meet the Hon’ble PM. Since 10 June till today, we hoped that at least 5-10 minutes the Hon’ble PM will spare for us. We have not come here to beg something from the PM. We are not beggars, even though we are coming from a tiny state,” he said.
“What is happening in Manipur should be seen as a national issue — if they think that Manipur is also a part of India,” he added.
Singh further asserted that the state of affairs in Manipur was a result of “the incapability of the double engine government” in the state.
“Mr Biren Singh (Manipur chief minister) openly accepted that this unfortunate incident happened due to lack of information, due to complete failure of law and order,” he said.
Congress leader Ajoy Kumar pointed out that while the PM had granted a meeting to the dialogue writer of the film Adipurush, Manoj Muntashir, he had refused to meet the Manipuri delegation.
Manipur has since early May been in the throes of violence between the Meitei, who are the majority in the Imphal valley and mostly Hindu, and the Kuki tribals, who are primarily Christians and inhabit the state’s hill districts. So far, at least 100 people have been killed, more than 300 injured, and over 50,000 displaced from their homes.
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‘Clear message of indifference towards Manipur’
In the memorandum, the opposition parties called CM Biren Singh “the architect of the present ethnic violence” and blamed “BJP politics of divide and rule” for the clashes.
“Both the BJP governments, in the Centre and the state, are to be held responsible for having failed to contain the ongoing violence in the state. The Union government and the state government are ambiguous about invoking of Article 355 in Manipur. Stoic silence of Hon’ble Prime Minister over the ethnic violence which has claimed many lives and created havoc for thousands of citizens in Manipur sends a clear message of indifference towards the people of Manipur,” it stated.
Article 355 is part of the Constitution’s “emergency provisions”, which state that it is the “duty of the Union” to protect every state against “external aggression and internal disturbance”.
“Shri N. Biren Singh, Chief Minister, Manipur, is the architect of the present ethnic violence because of his arbitrary actions. Had he taken preventive and prompt actions, the ethnic clashes could have been averted,” the memorandum stated.
It pointed out that “Biren Singh himself admitted publicly that there were security lapses and intelligence failure on the part of the state government”, adding that “he should be held solely responsible for the present crisis”.
In the memorandum, the parties reiterated their stance on the “territorial integrity” of Manipur, stated that grievances of all communities must be heard, and demanded immediate cessation of fire.
Further, they demanded the opening of National Highway 2, a “realistic” relief package for those affected by violence in the state, and strict vigil by security forces to ensure that there was no influx of illegal migrants from Myanmar.
“Ten MLAs, including two ministers in the government belonging to the Kuki tribe, (had) issued a press statement demanding a ‘separate administration’ for the Kukis. Union Home Minister (Amit Shah) during his visit (to Manipur in May-end) announced that the Government of India’s stand on unity and integrity of Manipur remains unchanged,” the memorandum pointed out.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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