21-member Opposition MPs delegation lands in Imphal for 2-day Manipur visit

The INDIA bloc MPs' visit follows a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate in Parliament on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.

Imphal (Manipur): A 21-member delegation from the grand Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, touched down at Imphal airport on Saturday for a two-visit to violence-hit Manipur. The visit follows from a chorus from the Opposition members for a debate on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, which has resulted in repeated disruptions and adjournments in both Houses of Parliament.

The Northeast state has been racked by ethnic violence, which broke out over a Manipur High Court order asking the state government to consider adding the Meitei community to the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs). Amid the persistent violence, a video from May 4, when the clashes broke out, surfaced recently purportedly showing two women being paraded naked.

The viral video triggered a fierce war of words between the BJP-led Centre and the Opposition, both within the four walls of the Parliament and outside, over the prevailing state of affairs in the Northeast state. Demanding that all scheduled businesses in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha be set aside for a discussion on Manipur, members of Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (I.N.D.I.A) raised a ruckus, disrupting and stalling proceedings in both Houses.

The visit by the opposition delegation comes even as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted a motion of no confidence moved by the Opposition against the Centre over the Manipur situation. (ANI)