Leaders of the opposition bloc INDIA on Wednesday met President Droupadi Murmu seeking her intervention to ensure the accountability of the government on the Manipur situation and restoration of peace in the state while pressing for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament.
They demanded that the prime minister visit the strife-torn state and make an appeal to the warring communities to end violence and promote brotherhood.
Alliance leaders seek President’s intervention
The alliance leaders sought the President’s intervention to help restore normalcy in Manipur, which has been hit by violence for the last three months, and alleged that the voice of the opposition was being “gagged” in Parliament.
Addressing the media after meeting Murmu, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the members of the delegation that included MPs who had recently visited Manipur apprised her of the situation in the state and shared what they saw in the affected areas.
“We also submitted a memorandum to the President and how incidents of violence were continuing, especially atrocities against women and parading them naked,” Kharge, who was flanked by the opposition leaders, told reporters outside Rashtrapati Bhawan. He claimed that more than 5,000 houses have been burnt, over 200 people were dead and more than 500 people were injured in the violence in Manipur, even as 60,000 people have been displaced. He said the rehabilitation camps where the affected people have been lodged are not equipped with proper living or medical facilities.
"Ask PM to speak in Parliament on Manipur"
“We had met the President to bring her attention to the Manipur issue… We told the President about everything, be it Manipur or Haryana violence,” Kharge said.
“The main demand is that the prime minister should speak and visit Manipur and list steps needed to bring peace in Manipur and provide relief to the people of the state.
“We implore you to press upon the prime minister to urgently address Parliament on the prevailing situation in Manipur, followed by a detailed and comprehensive discussion on the matter,” the opposition bloc said in the memorandum.
“We urgently request your kind intervention to establish peace and harmony in the state without any further delay. Accountability for the devastation of the past 92 days must be determined. Both the Union government and the state government must fulfill their duty to provide justice to the affected communities.”
It said her support and intervention are crucial in alleviating the suffering of the people of Manipur.
Submits memorandum
“With a profound sense of loss and anguish, we are humbly submitting this memorandum for your kind intervention so that the extraordinary situation confronting the state of Manipur can be redressed at the earliest and normalcy can be brought in urgently,” said the memorandum signed by 21 MPs who recently visited Manipur.
Among the leaders who accompanied the Congress chief were Sharad Pawar, Tiruchi Siva, Kanimozhi, Rajiv Ranjan ‘Lallan’ Singh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Jairam Ramesh, Farooq Abdullah, Sanjay Singh, Sudeep Bandyopadhyay, Mahua Maji, Jose K Mani, Vaiko, Sanjay Raut, Sushil Kumar Gupta, Sushmita Dev, Jayant Singh, Manoj Jha.
