A delegation of 21 members of Parliament, who are a part of the opposition Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA), reached Manipur on Saturday afternoon for a two-day visit. This is to assess the ground situation first-hand and then make recommendations to the government and Parliament for a solution to the problems in the violence-hit state.
Violence broke out in Manipur after a “Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and many have been injured in the violence. The clashes were preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller agitations.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Names of Leaders Who’ll Visit Manipur
The delegation will include Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury and Gaurav Gogoi of the Congress, TMC’s Sushmita Dev, JMM’s Mahua Maji, DMK’s Kanimozhi, NCP’s Mohammad Faizal, Jayant Chaudhary of RLD, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, N K Premachandran of RSP and T Thirumavalavan of the VCK.
JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh, Aneel Prasad Hegde (JD-U), CPI’s Sandosh Kumar, CPI(M)’s A A Rahim, Samajwadi Party’s Javed Ali Khan, IUML’s E T Mohammed Basheer, AAP’s Sushil Gupta, Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-Uddhav Thackeray), D Ravikumar (DMK), Phulo Devi Netam and K Suresh (Congress) will also be part of the 20-member delegation which will leave on Saturday morning and return on Sunday afternoon.
Who Said What
• Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, “We are going there not to raise political issues but to understand the pain of the people of Manipur. We have been appealing to the government to find a solution to the sensitive situation which has emerged in Manipur. It is not a law and order situation but there is communal violence there. We are going to assess the real situation on the ground in Manipur."
• Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) MP NK Premachandran said, “We will meet people from all sections of society and those who are currently living in rehabilitation centres. We strongly believe that the situation in Manipur can be solved through a political resolution."
• RJD MP Manoj Jha said, “Manipur needs to be heard. We are trying to listen to the people of Manipur and understand their situation. We will try to listen to people from all communities. This is our only objective."
• DMK MP Kanimozhi said, “We are going to meet the people of Manipur and tell them that we stand with them and we are fighting for them. We asked for permission to meet the Manipur Governor also."
• Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary said, “We will go to Manipur and understand the people’s problems. We hope that the government will take this in a positive way as we are going to help, not to increase their problems."
• TMC MP Sushmita Dev said, “We will try to meet members of both the communities. The people of Manipur need to be heard."
• Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said, “In the coming week, we want to keep before the Parliament what the concerns of people of Manipur."
• PP Mohammed Faizal, NCP-Sharad Pawar faction MP, said, “We are going to Manipur to understand the agonies and atrocities faced by the people there. We want to hear their expectations. As opposition MPs, we will support in all ways to bring normalcy there."
• Aam Aadmi Party MP Sushil Gupta said, “The government is not ready for discussion and the PM is not coming to the Parliament. So, we’ve decided to visit Manipur to see the situation on the ground."
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)
