I.N.D.I.A leaders reach Imphal to visit the violence-hit areas in Manipur

A 21-member delegation from the Opposition grand alliance I.N.D.I.A arrived in Imphal to visit the violence-hit Manipur.

Imphal (Manipur): A 21-member delegation from the Opposition grand alliance I.N.D.I.A., on Saturday, arrived in Imphal as part of a two-day visit to violence-hit Manipur. After setting foot in the state, the Opposition leaders said the purpose of their visit was to "represent the demands of the people".

Speaking to ANI after arriving at Imphal airport, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who had earlier filed a motion of confidence against the Centre in the Lok Sabha, over the Manipur situation, said, "We want the people to be heard. We are going to convey their demand in Parliament. We have come to represent the people of Manipur and their concerns." Fellow Congress MP from the Lower House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI, "We will put forward several demands to the Manipur Governor. However, we want to conduct a public survey and also hold discussions among ourselves before taking any call."

Welcoming the delegation, former Manipur CM and Congress leader, Okram Ibobi Singh said that they will hold discussions on the demand for the resignation of his successor, N Biren Singh, for failing to rein in the violence in the state. "We are extremely happy that this delegation of Opposition leaders has reached Manipur. They should visit the relief camps and meet people, who have been away from their homes for almost 3 months now. They should inform the central government about the situation on the ground so that normalcy could be restored at the earliest. We will also discuss the demand for the resignation of the Manipur CM."

As per the itinerary, from the Imphal airport, the delegation will head towards the Churachandpur district, which has been the epicentre of the ethnic clashes that erupted on May 3. Earlier, on Saturday, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast. She also called on all parties and stakeholders to help put the state back on track.

The leaders of the visiting delegation said earlier they would refrain from raising any political issues during their visit and would simply focus on getting a sense of the situation on the ground.

Speaking to reporters after visiting relief centres in Churachandpur, which was the epicentre of the ethnic violence in the state, Governor Uikey said, "People are asking when peace will be restored to the state. I make constant efforts to bring communities and stakeholders together in the interest of restoring peace to the state. We are also calling on all political parties to help us in this effort." On the two-day visit by the Opposition delegation, the Manipur Governor said, "I would appeal to them to contribute towards restoring peace to the state."

After visiting people displaced by the ethnic violence at the Churachandpur relief shelters, the Governor said, "The government will provide compensation to people, who lost family members to the violence and also suffered loss of property. I will do everything possible to bring peace to Manipur and towards the welfare and well-being of the people, across communities." "The people here want to return home. I am striving to bring all parties together in the interest of restoring peace to the state."

The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. (ANI)