INDIA bloc parties from Manipur urge PM to visit state

New Delhi: INDIA bloc parties from Manipur on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the violence-hit state at the earliest, asserting that his direct involvement and pro-active engagement with the people of Manipur can only bring peace and normalcy there.

A delegation of leaders from 10 political parties, representing the INDIA bloc, held a press conference here and claimed that they were denied permission to hold a sit-in at Jantar Mantar.

“We were supposed to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, but the authorities declined our permission request. We have around 10 political parties participating. It’s unfortunate that we’re being denied our right to protest. However, this setback won’t deter us; our protest will continue in various forms,” Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra said.

He said they have submitted a memorandum to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) with their demands.

“Manipur is also a part of India, so why has there been so much negligence by the central government over the past 18 months? More than 60,000 people are in relief camps, and hundreds have lost their lives. How much longer do we have to suffer?” Meghachandra said.

The people of Manipur are asking and demanding that the Prime Minister bring and restore peace to the state, he said.

“The Manipur state government is being directly controlled by the central government, with the Chief Minister acting as nothing more than a paper tiger. It feels like an undeclared presidential rule. The Home Minister is directly controlling the situation in

the state,” he alleged.

“This is a clear example of negligence by the Prime Minister and the central government, as the PM has neither spoken on the current crisis in Manipur, visited the state, nor invited representatives for discussions,” the Manipur Congress chief said.