Manipur Congress President Cishum Meghchandra alleged that President’s rule had “failed” to maintain peace in the state amid protests over hiding the name of the state on the windshield of the government bus.
He also claimed that Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla, who took charge in January this year, should be called back by the Center.
The Center imposed President’s rule in Manipur on 13 February after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned after a long -lasting ethnic violence in the state. The state assembly, which has a term till 2027, has been suspended.
In a post on X, Wangkhem MLA Meghchandra alleged, “The government with double engine has failed Manipur for more than 2 years. President’s rule has also thwarted Manipur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been repeatedly failing Manipur. Home Minister Amit Shah should resign. The Governor of Manipur should be called back.
BJP leaders use the word “double engine” for the party that is in power at both the Center and the state.
The Congress leader’s comment has come at a time when there is a protest in the state for the last few days to hide the name of the state on the glass of a government bus last week. The protesters are demanding an apology from the Governor for the May 20 incident.
The security personnel stopped the bus at the Gwaltabi check post, about 25 km from Imphal and forced the employees of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) to hide the state name written above the windshield of the vehicle with a piece of white paper.
On May 20, when the incident happened, at that time, the bus was going to the Shirui Lily Festival in Ukhul district with just journalists. Referring to the Gwaltabi incident, Meghchandra said, “Who instructed the Governor of Manipur to remove the word ‘Manipur’ from the Manipur State Transport Corporation bus?”
To intensify their protests, students and women groups on Monday formed a human chain by covering a distance of six kilometers up to a distance of up to 200 meters from the Governor’s residence from Imphal Airport.
In view of the protest, the Governor, who reached Imphal from New Delhi on Monday, tried to reach Kangla Fort, about 300 meters from Raj Bhavan by army helicopter.
In a post late Monday night, Meghchandra also said, “The Governor of Manipur had to take a helicopter from the Imphal International Airport to reach Raj Bhavan today, which is about 7 km by road from the airport.”
Since May 2023, more than 260 people have been killed in ethnic violence between Maetai and Cookie Groups and thousands of people have become homeless.
