New Delhi: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee President Keisham Meghachandra Singh on Friday criticised the Centre for its alleged inaction on the prolonged crisis in Manipur.
The MPCC chief said that a memorandum was submitted to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday, urging him to visit Manipur or engage with state political leaders to address the ongoing turmoil.
Singh also said that the delegation of Congress party had left for the national capital to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, however the demonstration faced hurdles as authorities denied them ground permission.
"We were here for proposed sit-in protest in Jantar Mantar today. We repeatedly requested for the ground permission for the proposed sit-in protest there but were declined from the authorities. It is organised by the INDIA bloc team in Manipur, however it is unfortunate that we cannot exercise our rights to protest in Delhi against the unprecedented turmoil in the state of Manipur. Even though we have been denied permission to protest, our movement here will not stop. We will continue our protest in different forms over our demands today also," said Singh.
"We just came out of the Prime Minister's Office where we submitted a memorandum to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. We submitted this letter on behalf of the people of the state. In this memorandum we have requested PM Modi to visit Manipur at least once. This is the lone demand of the people of Manipur. This is the demand of all the political parties in the violence-hit state, even the BJP," he added.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Nityanand Rai on Friday said that all-round development has been made in the north-eastern states since the formation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi government in centre from 2014.
Addressing a press conference at his residence in Delhi, MoS Home Nityanand Rai said that soon after PM Modi assumed office in 2014, the northeast was given priority under the Look East Policy. The government formulated a proper strategy to achieve its vision in these border and violent insurgency-affected states.
"The Central Government has made successful efforts to establish peace and stability by enriching the dignity, culture, language, literature and music of the North-East" he added.
On the contrary, opposition members have been continuously pushing to have a discussion on the floor on the Adani issue, Sambhal violence, and the Manipur situation.
The first session of the winter Parliament commenced on November 25, with both Houses getting adjourned fairly early due to disruptions. The winter session will go on till December 20.
On December 1 this year, to ensure peace, stability, and security in the Jiribam district, Assam Rifles conducted extensive area domination and sanitization operations to neutralise threats, enhance vigilance, and ensure the safety of local communities amidst prevailing tensions in the region.
Earlier in November, the National Investigation Agency registered a case in connection with the violence in Jiribam along with two other cases, on the orders of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
Violence erupted in Manipur on May 3 last year following clashes during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest against the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. (ANI)