Kharge seeks President’s intervention to restore normalcy in Manipur

IMPHAL, (IANS): Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday sought the intervention of  President Droupadi Murmu to restore peace, and normalcy and make constitutional machinery functional in Manipur.

Kharge in a letter to the President claimed that both the Union and the state governments have completely failed in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur during the last 18 months leading to the people of the state having apparently lost confidence in both the governments.

“With every passing day, the people of Manipur are becoming insecure on their own soil. Their home turf has witnessed their infants, babies, children and women getting mercilessly killed. With no succour coming from the governments involved, they are finding themselves completely isolated and helpless for more than 540 days now,” the Congress President said.

Earlier a delegation of Congress leaders – Manipur state Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh, party MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam and AICC Member Ningombam Bupenda Meitei accompanied by Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh and AICC in-charge for northeastern states Girish Chodankar discussed the Manipur issues with the Congress President.

Kharge said that after the ethnic violence broke out in Manipur in May 2023, despite the demand of the people of the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not visited the state despite he and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi visited the state on a number of occasions.

Explaining the Manipur situation, the Congress leader told the President that due to the ethnic strife, businesses are closed down, jobs are getting lost, professionals have left their own homes, essential food items, medicines, essential commodities are in scarcity, national highways are blocked, schools and educational institutions are shut down, internally displaced persons are dying of suicide in relief camps.

“Manlpur and its people are suffering silently, which in turn has taken a huge toll on the mental health of the entire population,” he said.

Besides killing over 300 people in the riot, internally displaced nearly a lakh people rendering them homeless and forcing them to live in different relief camps, Kharge stated.