PM finds time to go abroad, but avoids Manipur: Congress

The Congress in Manipur on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi should visit the strife-torn state and restore peace and normalcy at the earliest.

Senior Manipur Congress spokesperson Ningombam Bupenda Meitei said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had already visited Manipur on 29-30 June and spoken to a cross-section of people and relief camp inmates, but the prime minister had not found time to visit the state.

“The prime minister visited different states of the country and went abroad frequently, but avoided visiting Manipur despite the ethnic troubles going on for about five months,” Meitei, also an AICC member, told the media.

He said that state assembly speaker Thokchom Satyabrata Singh, several ministers, many MLAs and 'Youths of Manipur' leaders have either visited New Delhi or campaigned in the state capital to meet the prime minister to apprise him of the state’s situation, but PM Modi refused to meet anyone.

The Congress leader also asked Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh to arrange a meeting with the prime minister so that a delegation from the state can meet him, and said Congress MLAs are ready to accompany the delegation.

The Congress spokesperson said his party had always wanted the territorial, political and financial integrity of Manipur.

Since the ethnic violence began on 3 May, the Congress has been demanding President’s rule in Manipur.

Thousands of youths under the banner of 'Youths of Manipur' recently held demonstrations in Imphal and their representatives met the chief minister and urged him to take legal action against the 10 tribal MLAs (seven of them from the BJP) who are demanding a separate state for the state's tribal groups.

After the demonstrations, many MLAs from the ruling BJP and a few ministers went to Delhi to meet the prime minister to discuss the state’s situation.