Reacting to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s selective response only on an isolated incident, the purported video showing two women being paraded naked, the 10 opposition political parties in Manipur have asked if Prime Minister Narendra Modi was waiting for the viral video to speak up.
Since May 3, the violence in Manipur has been escalating, but PM Modi waited for over 70 days to break his silence, they said.
Now, Manipur is in a worse situation and everybody is under tension. Today, before the Parliament session, the PM broke his silence regarding Manipur, that too upon a viral video and this is shocking, the 10 opposition political parties said.
Like-minded 10 opposition political parties in Manipur joined and conducted a press meet on Thursday at Manipur Press Club, Imphal, regarding PM’s first comment on Manipur violence.
The 10 opposition parties involved in the press meet included the CPI (M), the CPI, JDU, AIFB, SS(UBT), AAP, RSP, TMC, and the MPCC.
Janata Dal United (JD-U) national executive member Nimaichand Luwang, representing all the 10 opposition political parties, expressed disappointment at the selective response by the prime minister.
He emphasised that while the viral video warranted condemnation, there might be other shocking incidents that also needed urgent attention and action.
The incident involving the two women occurred on May 4 and was reported to the Saikul police station on May 18, but no immediate action was taken, he said, pointing out that it was not until June 21 that the complaint was transferred to the Nongpok Sekmai police station.
It was only on July 20 that the prime minister finally broke his silence, promising strong punishment for the culprits, a sentiment later echoed by Chief Minister N Biren, who advocated for capital punishment, he added.
Nimaichand also questioned the chief minister's authority to pronounce such severe penalties and urged him to focus on conducting a thorough investigation instead.
“What was he doing since May 18. Manipur has become a lawless state”, Nimaichand said, adding that the chief minister is fully responsible for everything that takes place in Manipur.
The 10 opposition parties demanded an immediate assembly session in Manipur to discuss measures for restoring peace and normalcy. They stressed the importance of a ceasefire to pave the way for reconciliation and rehabilitation efforts.
The parties further criticised the BJP MLAs for not actively addressing the issue and instead engaging in token gestures like distributing rice and money.
They also attributed the violence in Manipur to the incompetence of PM Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and chief minister N Biren, holding them responsible for the current state of affairs in the region.
In conclusion, the 10 opposition parties vowed not to remain silent until a comprehensive solution was found for the ongoing crisis in Manipur. They called upon the government to take swift action and restore peace in the state as soon as possible.
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