Manipur violence: A delegation of Opposition bloc INDIA MPs from 16 parties reached Imphal today (July 29) to assess the situation to assess the ground situation where ethnic violence has been raging for nearly three months. The delegation of 21 MPs, who are on a two-day visit to Manipur, will also make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a solution to the problems in the violence-hit state.
Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury after landing in Imphal said they have several demands from Governor. “We have several demands from the Governor, we want to conduct a survey and have discussions among ourselves before taking any call,” he said.
Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, "We want the public's demand to be heard and we are going to represent the demand of the people. We have come to represent the people of Manipur and their concerns"As per the news agency PTI sources, the Opposition bloc had written to Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh, who allowed the delegation to visit the state.
MPs went to Churachandpur
After their arrival here, the delegation went to Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there. "From Imphal, they took a chopper to Churachandpur due to security issues. As only one helicopter is available, the members of the delegation were divided into two teams, and the chopper would make two trips to ferry them," a security official told PTI.
One team, comprising Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and others, departed for Churachandpur first to visit the relief camp set up at the Boys Hostel of Churachandpur College. Another team, comprising Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi and others, would visit the relief camp at Don Bosco School in Churachandpur, a source in Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) said.
Who is visiting Manipur
The delegation will include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, TMC's Sushmita Dev, JMM's Mahua Maji, DMK's Kanimozhi, NCP's Mohammad Faizal, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP, T Thirumavalavan of the VCK, JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI's Sandosh Kumar, CPI(M)'s A A Rahim, Samajwadi Party's Javed Ali Khan, IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer, AAP's Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-Uddhav Thackeray), D Ravikumar (DMK), Phulo Devi Netam and K Suresh (Congress).
According to Congress MP Naseer Hussain, the delegation will visit the violence-hit areas and people both in the valley and the hills. They would also visit two relief camps in both places and assess the situation themselves. The MPs will also meet the Governor of Manipur, Anusuiya Uikey, on Sunday.
The Congress leader said the MPs have sought to use helicopters there and if allowed, they will be able to visit the far-flung areas of Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place.
Opposition demand inquiry under retired Supreme Court judge
Ahead of the visit, Congress' deputy leader in Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi called for an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge into the violence in Manipur. "The BJP wants to give the picture that everything is fine in Manipur but it is not so with violence continuing. That is why we want that an inquiry should be conducted under a retired Supreme Court judge as to how did the state government fail, how did people got access to weapons in this quantity, what was the administration doing," said Gogoi.
He further said, "The chief minister (N Biren Singh) himself admits that there are more than 100 FIRs. Why was the administration sleeping for two months. There should be an inquiry under a retired Supreme Court judge and all INDIA (Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance) MPs will go to Manipur and find out the truth and will put forward that truth before Parliament," he told PTI outside Parliament."
The Opposition has mounted a fresh attack on the government after a May 4 video of women being paraded naked and assaulted by a group of men went viral on July 19. Ever since the Monsoon session of Parliament started, the opposition has been continuously demanding a discussion on Manipur. The Opposition has been accusing PM Modi of not making a statement in Parliament on the northeastern state, which has seen violence for the last 85 days. Both Houses of Parliament have not been able to carry out business amid the uproar caused by the Opposition, demanding a statement from the Prime Minister and a discussion on Manipur thereafter.
Manipur violence
More than 180 people have lost their lives, and several have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, which include Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.
Also Read: Manipur violence: Around 700 people of Meitei community left Mizoram out of fear
(With agencies input)
