Hundreds of people in Manipur, expressing their discontent with PM Modi's silence regarding the recent violence in Manipur, have resolved to boycott ‘Mann ki Baat’ and demand ‘Manipur ki Baat’ instead.
On Sunday, hundreds of women vendors from Singjamei market, along with locals of Singjamei areas, called for boycotting the "Mann Ki Baat" programme and held a protest at Indo-Burma Road in Imphal West district.
During the demonstration, the protesters destroyed a radio set and chanted slogans to show their disinterest in listening to the "Mann Ki Baat" programme.
At 11 am when the Maan Ki Baat programme was broadcast on radio and TV (Doordarshan), people came out on the street and threw away their radios and broke them condemning the defining silence of the PM over Manipur turmoil.
Protestors blocked the Indo-Myanmar border for almost 30 minutes, extending the duration of the programme. They decried that despite violence in Manipur, having been continued for more than 45 days, the PM did not utter a single word.
"We strongly oppose the Mann Ki Baat program. We are against it. Instead of Mann Ki Baat, we want to discuss the issues facing Manipur, we want 'Manipur Ki Baat'. We don't want to hear PM Modi's Mann Ki Baat”, said protestors.
Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the protest, Surkumar, the coordinator of Thawai Meerel, expressed their condemnation of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's silence on the ongoing crisis in Manipur. As a result, they decided to boycott the "Mann ki Baat" talk programme broadcasted by All India Radio.
He asked why the PM is silent, when thousands of Manipuri have lost their houses, their lives and suffering because of violence.
Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi doesn't seem to care about the struggles faced by Manipur, the people no longer wish to listen to his Maan ki Baat. He also criticised the chief minister N Biren for his inability to exert pressure on central leaders to address the current crisis, citing it as a sign of weakness.
Surendra, the media coordinator of Thawai Meeral remarked that the Prime Minister had come to Manipur during the elections, seeking votes with folded hands, but he does not seem genuinely interested in resolving the crisis in the state.
It may be mentioned that many other opposition political leaders also strongly condemn the Prime Minister over his silence about Manipur violence.
Trinamool Congress MP, Muhua Moitra expressed strong condemnation of PM silence saying ‘enough Mann Ki Baat now is time for some Manipur ki Baat’.
