New Delhi
As many as 31 leaders, including 21 MPs who recently visited Manipur, from the newly-formed Opposition bloc I.N.D.I.A met President Droupadi Murmu on Wednesday and submitted a memorandum demanding Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s statement in Parliament besides a visit to the strife-torn State and also to list steps needed to restore peace there.
The delegation, led by Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha and Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge, further demanded that the Prime Minister also make an appeal to the warring communities to end violence and promote brotherhood.
It also apprised the President of the situation in the State and shared what they saw in the affected areas.
“We submitted a memorandum to the President and how incidents of violence were continuing, especially atrocities against women and parading them naked. We told the President about everything, be it Manipur or Haryana violence,” Kharge told reporters after the meeting.
“The main demand is that the Prime Minister should speak and visit Manipur and list out steps needed to bring peace in Manipur and provide relief to the people of the state,” he said.
“We implore you to press upon the Prime Minister to urgently address Parliament on the prevailing situation in Manipur, followed by a detailed and comprehensive discussion on the matter,” the Opposition delegation said in the memorandum.
“We urgently request your kind intervention to establish peace and harmony in the state without any further delay. Accountability for the devastation of the past 92 days must be determined. Both the Union government and the state government must fulfil their duty to provide justice to the affected communities,” the memorandum also said.
The delegation said the President’s support and intervention are crucial in alleviating the suffering of the people of Manipur.
He said over 5,000 houses have been burnt, more than 200 persons have been killed and over 500 people sustained injuries in the violence in Manipur so far even as 60,000 people have been displaced.
Kharge alleged that the rehabilitation camps, where the affected people have been lodged, are not equipped with proper living or medical facilities.
Kharge said that the President has assured to look into their memorandum and demands.
Among those who accompanied Kharge were Tiruchi Siva, Kanimozhi, Rajiv Ranjan ‘Lallan’ Singh, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, Sushil Kumar Gupta, Sushmita Dev, Jayant Singh, Manoj Jha, among others.
Kharge said the Prime Minister has neither been coming to the House nor making a statement on what steps he intends to take to bring peace and normalcy in the state.
He said that the opposition has been demanding a discussion in both houses of Parliament on Manipur but the government is disallowing.
“My mike is shut off within seconds after I am allowed to speak in Rajya Sabha and then the treasury benches start making noise. This is an insult to the leader of the opposition,” he charged, adding this is happening despite the Chairman saying that he sees the Leader of the House and that of the Opposition equally.
For her part, Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev also asked the president to nominate two Manipuri women from different communities to the Rajya Sabha to help rectify the grievous harm inflicted on women of the state.
The Opposition bloc also raised the issue of communal tension in Haryana’s Nuh and alleged that the Central government was not bothered about the developments that are taking place “barely 100 km from the Prime Minister’s Office”.
