INDIA Bloc denied permission to protest at Jantar Mantar
Modi urged to visit or meet over Manipur issue
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal/New Delhi, December 06 2024:
The Manipur unit of INDIA Bloc was reportedly not given a permit to hold a protest at Jantar Mantar in connection with the unrest in Manipur which has been going on since May 3 last year.
The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), in a statement signed by its president K Meghachandra, said that INDIA Bloc will continue to stage different kinds of protest across the country even though the Government of India didn't allow them to protest today.
MPCC continued that representatives of INDIA Bloc, Manipur unit visited the Prime Minister' Office (PMO) today and invited Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur before the year (2024) ends after they were denied to hold the protest.
The Prime Minister should at least convene a meeting of all political parties at PMO or at his residence if the Prime Minister has no time to visit Manipur, MPCC demanded.
The MPCC said that the Prime Minister should be pro-actively involved in restoring normalcy in the State as he, being the head of the Government, can resolve the crisis.
Kshetrimayum Shanta, convenor of the 10 political parties belonging to the INDIA Bloc in Manipur, said they came from over 3,000 km away to demand peace and restoration of normalcy but were denied permission for the sit-in protest.
"It is very unfortunate that we can't practise our right to protest against unprecedented turmoil...Despite many people coming from Manipur to Delhi.
Our movement will not stop.
We will continue to protest in different forms," said Manipur Congress president Meghachandra Singh, during a press conference.
"We have come from the PMO office and have submitted a memorandum.
In this memorandum, we have requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to once visit Manipur.
This is the long demand of the people of Manipur and political parties.
Even the BJP demands that the PM visit the State where continued violence has been happening.
"Manipur is also a part of India.
Why has there been so much negligence by the Central Government over the last 18 months ? More than 60,000 people are in relief camps, and hundreds have lost their lives.
How much longer do we have to suffer?" .
Meghachandra asked.
He said that the people of Manipur "ask that the Prime Minister restore peace to the State" .
"The Manipur State Government is being directly controlled by the Central Government, with the Chief Minister acting as nothing more than a paper tiger.
It feels like an undeclared Presidential rule.
The Home Minister is directly controlling the situation in the State.
This is a clear example of negligence by the Prime Minister and the Central Government, as the PM has neither spoken on the current crisis in Manipur, visited the State, nor invited representatives for discussions," the Congress leader told reporters.
In their letter to PM Modi, the INDIA Bloc from Manipur invited him for a visit to the State, "which has been in turmoil for nearing two years since the third of May, 2023", on behalf of the State's people and INDIA Bloc.
"The people of Manipur have been eagerly waiting for your presence in the State to place their voices of helplessness to you since the third of May, 2023.As you are also aware that the turmoil has devastated the entire State with nearly a lakh of human population being internally displaced and hundreds of human lives being taken away, leaving the entire State into complete chaos," the letter said.
The leaders of the 10 parties urged PM Modi to visit Manipur at the earliest before the year ends.
"If you have no time to visit Manipur before this year of 2024 ends, then you are requested to invite all political parties from Manipur at your office or at your official residence in New Delhi.
As you being the Prime Minister your direct involvement requested as your proactive engagement with the people of Manipur can only bring peace and normalcy in Manipur," the letter said.
(With inputs from The Indian Express) .
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