The visit by the opposition partiescome at a time when the monsoon session of Parliament has seen little to no business due to the ongoing logjam over the situation in the state.
The opposition parties have even moved a no-confidence motion against the Narendra Modi government, demanding that the Prime Minister himself should address the issue in the House.
Meanwhile, the CBI has taken over the probe into the the case of alleged sexual assault on two women by a mob in Manipur on May 4, a video clip of which went viral on social media.
Here are the top developments …
Opposition alliance in Manipur
A delegation of 21 MPs from the opposition bloc INDIA reached Manipur on Saturday to assess the ground situation after widespread ethnic violence in the state.
The team of opposition MPs are visiting several relief camps to meet the victims of the ethnic clashes that broke in the northeastern state on May 3.
The MPs reached Imphal by a commercial flight from Delhi.
The delegation is also visiting Churachandpur, where fresh violence has taken place, to meet victims from the Kuki community in the relief camps there.
On Sunday morning, the delegation will meet governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhawan to discuss the ongoing situation and possible measures to bring peace in Manipur at the earliest.
‘Must find peaceful solution to conflict’
During the visit, the opposition bloc said that all parties must try to find a peaceful solution to the ongoing conflict.
Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the ethnic conflict in Manipur was sullying India’s image and all parties must try and find a way to end it.
“We have come here to meet victims of ethnic clashes and understand the problem. We want the end of violence and the restoration of peace at the earliest…the entire world is watching what is going on in Manipur,” Chowdhury told PTI .
He also said, “The ethnic clashes have damaged the image of Manipur, the northeast region and India as a whole. We all have to try for a peaceful solution. We are here not to do any politics.”
BJP slams opposition’s visit
The BJP leaders hit out at the opposition bloc for visiting Manipur, accusing it of politicising the issue.
Union minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday alleged that the visit was a “mere show-off”.
The senior BJP leader alleged that when Manipur used to burn under previous governments, those visiting the northeastern state now did not utter a single word in the Parliament.
“When Manipur used to remain shut for months, they had not spoken a word,” he said.
Thakur said that when the delegation returns from Manipur, the members of the team “will not allow Parliament to function”.
“In this context, my request to Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury is to bring the same delegation to West Bengal, where atrocities are happening against women,” he said.
Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal slammed the opposition for “playing politics” over the Manipur violence issue, saying these parties do not want a debate on this matter in Parliament.
He also said what action has been taken pertaining to the Manipur issue will be known when discussion takes place in Parliament on the no-confidence motion brought by the opposition.
The Union minister of state for law and justice further said that had the opposition allowed discussion in Parliament, the country would have come to know what kind of actions have been taken by the government in the matter.
“But the opposition does not want the debate in Parliament,” he alleged.
CBI takes over probe into viral video
The CBI has taken over the investigation in a case of alleged sexual assault on two tribal women by a mob on May 4.
The video clip of the incident had gone viral, sparking nationwide outrage.
The Supreme Court, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several political leaders expressed anguish over the horrific video.
The video shows the men constantly molesting the two helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors to spare them the horror.
The case was handed over to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on a reference from the Union home ministry, the officials said.
The government had decided to hand over the case of the alleged assault to the CBI, which was already roped in to probe six cases related to violence in Manipur.
The CBI will dispatch some more women officers, besides forensic experts, to probe the case, the officials said.
Gives pain to all of us: Om Birla on incidents in Manipur
Meanwhile, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Saturday called for peace in Manipur, saying the incidents the state witnessed since the outbreak of violence on May 3 are “painful”.
Only peace can bring prosperity in the state and the region, he said.
“There is always pain in my heart. Whatever incidents that took place in the state were not good incidents,” Birla said in an apparent reference to the violence in Manipur. “That gives pain to all of us.”
Birla said the country and all the state, as well all societies must walk on the path of peace.
Rally held against demand for ‘separate administration’ by Kukis
Earlier, a massive rally was taken out on Saturday to protest against the demand for a ‘separate administration’ for areas inhabited by the Kuki community.
Tens of thousands of demonstrators from across five valley districts of the state participated in the rally, demanding the territorial integrity of the northeastern state where race riots began in early May.
The protest march, organised by Coordinating Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI), began at Thangmeiband in Imphal West district and culminated at Hapta Kangjeibunand in Imphal East, covering a distance of 5 km.
Holding aloft placards, demonstrators raised slogans against those who demanded separate administration, and against “illegal immigrants from Myanmar”.
Notably, ten MLAs from the Kuki community in Manipur had, in May, demanded a separate administration, stating that the administration had “miserably failed to protect” the Chin-Kuki-Zomi tribals.
Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes since May 3 between the majority Meitei community, concentrated in the Imphal valley, and the Kukis, occupying the hills.
More than 160 people lost their lives and many were injured since the clashes broke out.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals — Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
(With inputs from agencies)
Watch Adhir Panjan Chowdhury on opposition MP’s manipur visit