INDIA MPs' delegation meets President over Manipur, Kharge says PM avoiding Parliament

New Delhi, Aug 2:  A delegation of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) along with the floor leaders on Wednesday met President Droupadi Murmu over situation in Manipur and Leader of Opposition (LoP) in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge apprised her that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is avoiding Parliament.

The INDIA delegation consisted of the MPs who had visited the northeastern state on July 29 and 30 along with the LoP and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, NC leader Farooq Abdullah, JD-U leader Rajiv Ranjan Singh (Lalan Singh), Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien, AAP leader Sanjay Singh, DMK’s Kanimozhi, Shiv Sena (UBT) Sanjay Raut, Samajwadi Party’s Ram Gopal  Yadav and others.

During the meeting, Kharge apprised Murmu that the Prime Minister is avoiding Parliament, sources said.

While Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury handed over a memorandum signed by all to the President.

The source said that Trinamool Congress' Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev suggested to the President to send two brave women from two different communities in Manipur to the Rajya Sabha (nominated by President) as a small measure to rectify the grievous harm and violation inflicted upon the women of Manipur. This is the minimum expectation at this time of national tragedy.

Meanwhile, in their memorandum, the INDIA parties said that they are submitting the memorandum for her kind intervention so that the extraordinary situation confronting the state of Manipur can be redressed at the earliest and normalcy can be brought in urgently.

“The situation in Manipur has reached a critical point in the last few weeks, witnessing a complete breakdown of law and order. The shocking viral video that surfaced online has left the nation in shell shock, and it is evident that the state administration and police have failed to address the matter promptly. The delayed response of over two months to take cognisance and apprehend the accused has compounded the severity of the issue. Subsequently, it has come to light that the said incident is only one of the several cases of atrocities against women,” the memorandum read.

It further said that a delegation of 21 MPs from INDIA parties visited the violence-affected areas in Manipur on July 29-30, 2023, conveying the message of solidarity with the people of Manipur and assessing the ground reality.

“The delegation, consisting of 21, experienced and sensitive Members of Parliament from both the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha, witnessed the extreme devastation and hardships faced by the people, including women and children, and apprised the country of the grim and concerning situation in the state. The delegation also called upon the Governor, Manipur, to apprise her of the ground realities, and submitted a memorandum,” it said.

The memorandum also highlighted that the impact of the violence has been devastating, with more than 200 lives lost, over 500 injuries, and more than 5,000 houses gutted in arson-related incidents. A staggering number of over 60,000 people are displaced, living in dire conditions in relief camps across the state.

“The delegation visited relief camps in three different conflict-affected areas, including Churachandpur, Moirang, and Imphal, where they interacted with the affected people, listened to their concerns, and witnessed firsthand the dire living conditions, especially for women and children.

“People in relief camps are facing hardships with low availability of food and relief materials. They are living in a state of permanent fear and insecurity, and are in need of a secure and just rehabilitation to rebuild their lives. The three-month-long internet ban in the state has further escalated distrust between different communities and allowed the spread of misinformation.

“The prolonged closure of schools and colleges for nearly three months has adversely affected the education and learning of children and youth in Manipur,” it added.

The Opposition parties have been demanding a detailed statement by Prime Minister in both Houses of Parliament on Manipur violence. The INDIA MPs have also demanded for a detailed discussion on Manipur in the Parliament.

Ethnic clashes erupted in Manipur on May 3 and since then hundreds of people have died while thousands have been forced to take refuge in the relief camps.