Centre, state govts chose path of laxity into Manipur crisis: Cong-led 10 parties tell Governor

Imphal: Ten like-minded parties’ bloc in Manipur led by the Congress, held a rally and submitted a memorandum to the state Governor Anusuiya Uikey, and claimed that the Central and state governments have “chosen the path of non-intervention to the crisis of clash between the ethnic groups”.

The leaders of 10 parties led by former three-time Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh (2002-2017) met the Governor and told her that despite the present crisis in Manipur now stretching over five months, no meaningful peace talks with the concerned stakeholders is in sight.

“The Central and state governments are trying to sideline the main reasons behind the crisis by taking shelter under the theory of conspiracy by outside militant organisations with an intent to attack India. Finding a solution by correctly analysing the causes behind the crisis requires no emphasis. It is high time for the Central and state authorities to engage in a peace process to bring normalcy to the state,” the 10-party memorandum to the Governor said.

They added that because of the failure of the state and Central machineries to manage the serious crisis of law and order in the state, local civil societies are trying to fill the gap of missing governance by resorting to various forms of agitations and pronouncements.

Of late, the state government imposed various prohibitory measures to prevent the citizens from exercising their fundamental rights like freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and constructive criticism of the government, the parties said.

Noting that the relief package announced by the state and Central governments is inadequate in terms of coverage and quantum, the parties said that while the families which suffered losses with the death of their family members, injuries, burning of houses and businesses, are the most deserving, there are many like drivers of trucks, buses, school vans, taxis, business owners, daily wage earners, who also need relief and rehabilitation.

The memorandum of the 10 parties said that mortal remains of two students, Hijam Linthoingambi and Phijam Hemant Singh, are yet to be recovered and handed over to their families.

Similarly, several mortal remains of many killed due to the violence are lying in the mortuaries at the two medical colleges in Imphal and Churachandpur district hospital.

It is the wish and desire of family members of the deceased to perform the last rites according to their faith, the leaders said, and urged the Governor to arrange for handing over of mortal remains to the affected families at the earliest.

The 10 parties, which also include the Aam Aadmi Party, Trinamool Congress, CPI-M, CPI, Forward Bloc, RSP, Shiv Sena-UBT, Janata Dal-United and Nationalist Congress Party, have demanded that the government should talk to all stakeholders for an amicable settlement of the crisis and bring ever-lasting peace and harmony in Manipur.

–IANS