New Delhi: The Congress has expressed its concern over the recent flare-up in Manipur and said it may soon send a delegation to the strife-torn state to usher peace.
The grand old party slammed the Centre for neglecting the troubled north-eastern state saying while leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had visited Manipur twice since the communal violence broke out in the state 16 months ago, PM Narendra Modi had no time for it.
“The situation in Manipur is serious. Besides the communal conflict which continues to rage on in the state since May 2023, we are concerned that sophisticated weapons including drones and rocket propelled grenades have been used by the militants in the recent flare-up. This raised concerns over national security as Manipur is a border state,” AICC in-charge of Manipur Girish Chodankar told ETV Bharat.
“We are planning to send a delegation to the state to get a report on the ground situation. Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi had visited the state after the Lok Sabha polls and found there were serious problems in the refugee camps where thousands of displaced persons are still living. We had even informed Governor Anusuiya Uikey who said that people of the state are upset and sad and wanted PM Modi to visit them,” he said.
The AICC functionary blamed the Centre for neglecting the troubled state.
“Every time it appears as if Manipur might be returning to normalcy, we see a fresh escalation in violence. Even after 16 months of the conflict, the Centre has no hold over the situation and is allowing the state government to continue despite its complicity and negligence in the conflict. PM Modi pretends as if Manipur is not a part of India. He thinks it is more suitable for him to intervene in the Russia-Ukraine conflict while being a complete failure in stopping the mindless violence in Manipur,” said Chodankar.
“The Centre’s hands-off approach to Manipur is extremely dangerous and points to their tacit support to this violence. We demand an immediate dismissal of Manipur chief minister Biren Singh, a complete crackdown on all insurgents and a speedy conclusion of the Supreme Court-monitored investigation into the ongoing violence. There is an urgent need for peace and normalcy in Manipur. We appeal to all stakeholders involved to take strong steps to end violence and explore a path towards normalcy,” he said.
The AICC functionary targeted the Manipur chief minister over his demand for transfer of unified command to the state government.
“BJP's Manipur chief minister has set a record in brazening out his rank incompetence and has reportedly demanded the transfer of the 'Unified Command' to the state government. The Unified Command oversees security operations in Manipur and is currently handled by a team of Union Home Ministry officials, the state security adviser and the Indian Army. The Union Home Minister it seems has also given up on his Constitutional responsibility to ensure security in Manipur, and is busy addressing rallies in election-going states,” Chodankar added.
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