The Congress on Saturday demanded a fresh election in Manipur and alleged that despite the implementation of President’s rule, the ground situation in the struggling state is far from normal.
Addressing a press conference at AICC headquarters, Manipur in -charge Saptagiri Ulaka said that two years have passed since the violence erupted. He said, “This is one of the most serious humanitarian crises in India. People are afraid that this violence was concocted and now two years have passed.” More than 260 people have been killed, 1,500 injured and more than 70,000 people have been displaced since ethnic violence erupted between Meti and Cookie on May 3, 2023.
Congress MP Ulaka also targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi and claimed that he has since visited 44 countries and participated in 250 programs across the country, but never spoke about Manipur. He said, “We are demanding a discussion on Manipur, but Modi ji did not break his silence. We were demanding imposition of President’s rule to control the situation, but it was imposed only after 20 months. Despite the implementation of President’s rule, the current situation is far from normal at the ground level despite the implementation of President’s rule.”
He said that the Congress wants the government to declare new elections so that a government of a popular people in Manipur can be elected. “Violence in the state is not ending.” A few days after N Biren Singh resigned as the Chief Minister, President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on 13 February and the assembly was suspended. The term of Manipur Assembly is up to 2027.
Ulaka, MP from Koraput in Odisha, claimed that the Center imposed President’s rule only when the Congress announced a plan to bring a no -confidence motion in the assembly, but Singh resigned as the Chief Minister before the proposal came.
Describing the government’s attitude towards Manipur, Ulaka said that the ground reality has not changed. He said that the people of Manipur want the Prime Minister to visit the state, bring back peace and give human touch and send the displaced back to their homes. He also claimed that the report of the Ajay Lamba -led inquiry commission constituted by the government has not been released nor has it been discussed in Parliament.
He said, “The government is not interested in bringing peace in Manipur. We hope that Prime Minister will assure the citizens of Manipur how it will return to normal condition.” He vowed that the Congress would continue to fight for Manipur’s rights until the normal situation comes back and justice is done.
He said, “What is the priority of the Prime Minister? He should try to bring peace in Manipur and should break his silence and present a roadmap to bring peace in the state.” Kesham Meghchandra Singh, the head of the Congress’s Manipur unit, described the BJP as the “producer” of the violence and said that the saffron party is not serious to end it. “Constitutional machinery is not being properly utilized and that is why violence continues,” he said.
He said, “Even after President’s rule, we (the people of Manipur) have no trust in the Narendra Modi government. We demand a new election.” “We believe that if the Congress government comes to the state, then we can bring peace.” Singh appealed to the people of Manipur to bring peace and said, “The force cannot bring peace and the BJP cannot bring peace.”
He alleged that BJP’s double engine government cannot save people’s lives in Manipur. He said that the government with double engine is unable to bring peace to Manipur and there is no plan to send the displaced people back even after the implementation of President’s rule. He said, “When the constitutional system has failed, we want a new mandate.”