New Delhi (IANS) | Leaders of ten opposition parties hit by violence in Congress-led Manipur on Tuesday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of ignoring the people of the northeastern state and not meeting them before leaving for the US tour. The Congress criticized the Prime Minister’s meeting with Manoj Muntashir, who wrote clumsy dialogues for the film ‘Adipurush’, and said that the PM has no time to meet senior leaders of the country.
Congress leader Ajay Kumar claimed that writer Muntashir met Modi without prior appointment and spoke with him for 45 minutes, while leaders in the delegation from the violence-hit state, even those from the BJP, were not allowed to meet PM Modi. No time was given for
Addressing a joint press conference at the party headquarters, Congress leader Ajay Kumar said, since June 10, many senior leaders of Manipur, including political leaders, civil society people, are waiting here to meet Prime Minister Modi. Even Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh and the Assembly Speaker are also waiting for the time.
He said that senior leader Ibobi Singh, who was the Chief Minister of Manipur for 15 years, and several other top leaders of Manipur are not able to meet the PM, while a screenwriter can meet the Prime Minister without prior permission.
He said that a memorandum was also submitted to the Prime Minister’s Office by a delegation of 10 parties.
Kumar was accompanied by former Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh, leader of opposition parties, Manipur PCC president Keesham Meghchandra Singh and others, who said they were disappointed as the prime minister did not even spare ten minutes for them before leaving for the US. Removed
Kumar said the opposition leaders have been camping here for the last 10 days hoping to meet the prime minister. He said, not only these leaders, but also the people of Manipur were very disappointed that the Prime Minister had no time for them.
Meanwhile, regarding the Manipur violence, former Chief Minister Ibobi Singh said that it was a failure of Chief Minister Biren Singh and he himself admitted that it was a failure of intelligence and administration.
As citizens of this country, we were waiting here to meet Modiji, the former chief minister said. We have not come here to beg anything from the Prime Minister, but what has happened in Manipur should be considered a national issue. The double engine is the double failure of the government in dealing with the violence in Manipur.
He said Union Home Minister Amit Shah came to Manipur after 26 days and stayed there for three days, but even this did not help in restoring peace.
Memorandum of Opposition:
The memorandum submitted by the opposition leaders highlights that more than 150 people have been killed, while more than 1,000 have been injured. More than 5,000 houses have been burnt and more than 60,000 people have been displaced. Hundreds of churches and temples have also been burnt.
The memorandum also alleged that it was the politics of ‘divide and rule’ of the BJP, which gave rise to this crisis.
The memorandum mentions the demand of 10 MLAs including two ministers in the government belonging to the Kuki tribe, demanding a separate administration for the Kukis. The memorandum warned against any move to divide the state of Manipur.
The memorandum states that the Prime Minister’s silence on the caste violence, which has claimed many lives and caused havoc for thousands of citizens, is a clear message of his indifference towards the people of Manipur.
Chief Minister Biren Singh has also been held responsible for the violence in the memorandum and it has been said that he was the architect of caste violence due to his arbitrary actions. If he had taken preventive and prompt action, the ethnic conflict could have been avoided.
The signatories to the memorandum include leaders from Congress, JDU, CPI, CPM-M, TMC, AAP, Forward Bloc, Nationalist Congress Party, Shiv Sena and RSP.
The Congress has been critical of the Prime Minister’s silence on the Manipur violence.
The Congress on Tuesday reminded the Prime Minister to follow ‘Rajdharma’ instead of ‘campaigning to improve his image’.
–IANS
