20 Opposition MPs in Manipur, visits relief camps in Churachandpur

A 20-member opposition delegation from 15 political parties belonging to the newly announced Indian National Developmental Alliance, or I.N.D.I.A, is on a two-day visit to the strife-torn state of Manipur starting today to assess the current state of affairs in the state.

On arrival, the delegation took a chopper straight to Churachandpur and visited relief camps there. The MPs interacted with the mothers and children taking shelter in the relief camps.

The delegation from both the Houses includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress. Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU, Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress, Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD, Sandosh Kumar of the CPI, Kanimozhi from DMK, AA Rahim from CPI (M), , Javed Ali Khan of SP, Mahua Maji of JMM, PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP, Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML, NK Premachandran of RSP, Sushil Gupta of AAP, Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT), D Ravikumar of VCK, Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK, and Jayant Singh of the RLD.

RJD MP Manoj Jha, who visited a relief camp in Churachandpur, told Northeast Live that their foremost exercise is to ensure peace, improve inter-community relations, and punishment for the perpetrators of this violence.

“The foremost exercise is to ensure peace and bring back the cordial relations between the two communities. The perpetrators who are responsible for near-genocidal kind of violence should be punished. Everything else is secondary. I think the people should sit together with a good administration, not this administration,” MP Manoj Jha said.

Taking a dig at the double-engine government, Jha said, “Unlike some of my friends in the BJP, I have a long association with Manipur. As a teacher at Delhi University, as a colleague, I can vouch for it that anything that we plan for Manipur shall be for the greatest good for everybody.”

Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi said after meeting the inmates of relief camps that the people should feel safe, adding that it is the responsibility of the state and central governments to protect them and make them feel safe whenever they step out of relief camps, hospitals, or universities.

He added that they also want people to feel safe enough to return and rebuild their lives.

“How long will they stay in relief camps? So a situation has to be created so that people can start rebuilding their lives,” MP Gaurav Gogoi said.

He also said that they want people to have faith in the state and central governments of the different political parties.

“Only once people’s faith is restored, once people feel safe and secure, can we have a broad dialogue and understand what people’s needs and concerns are. At this time, it is very necessary for the prime minister to initiate and take control of the situation,” Gogoi said.

Sharing the party’s strategy to bring permanent peace to Manipur, Gogoi said, “Our first thing is to press the central government and the Prime Minister to pay more attention to Manipur.”

Congress MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that the N Biren Singh-led government has failed miserably and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.

TMC MP Sushmita Dev, sharing her stance on the separate administration demand by the tribals, maintained that it is absolutely urgent that the government of India intervene and start a dialogue to bring peace in the state.

“I have seen on television that there’s a demand for a separate administration. This only tells me how much the divide between the two communities has grown. I feel that it’s absolutely urgent that the government of India intervene, and the government of India needs to start dialogue, but the problem is that the people of Manipur do not trust the Chief Minister of Manipur or the home minister of India. I’m worried about where they’d go with their demands for peace. There’s a huge trust deficit. And I don’t see the situation changing in Manipur for a long time; it is very unfortunate,” MP Sushmita Dev said.

She added that the demand for a separate administration is a consequence of the situation in Manipur.
Responding to foreign infiltrators and poppy cultivation being the root cause of the violence, Dev said, “I have read up on many articles on the problem of poppy cultivation also. But I feel that apart from that, there are too many issues. And point by point, if you talk to both sides, it is very important to save the state of Manipur. It is known as the Jewel of India, today, see what has happened to Manipur. We have to act in the greater interest of the state, but it has to be through dialogue.”

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