Opposition Parties Visit Manipur to Assess the Extent of Violence
Opposition Parties Visit Manipur to Assess the Extent of Violence
As religious and caste conflicts have been increasing in almost all parts of India during the past about 10 years, ethnic violence erupted in the north-eastern state of Manipur between the Meitei people and the Kuki tribal community.
By Rakesh Raman
Twenty-one members of opposition political parties of India visited the burning Manipur on July 29 and July 30 to evaluate the damage caused by the ongoing violence in the state.
The delegation of opposition outfits which have united under the newly formed INDIA alliance met the Governor of Manipur and urged her to help restore peace and rehabilitate affected families at the earliest. The opposition MPs also submitted a memorandum to the Governor.
The Indian state of Manipur is facing increasing state-sponsored violence aimed to harass, persecute, attack, and drive out people belonging to the minority Christian community. The violence includes arson, murders, loot, and rapes by the criminals who masquerade as Hindu protagonists.
While PM Narendra Modi-led Hindu government is not taking any action to stop the violence that began over two months ago, the connivance of the state and national authorities in the crimes tantamount to ethnic cleansing.
[ Also Read: UN Human Rights, USCIRF Petition to Protect Human Rights in Manipur ]
Since Modi is aimlessly wandering in different states and abroad without talking about the Manipur crisis, the Congress party moved a no-confidence motion on July 26 in the Lok Sabha (parliament) against the Modi government.
However, so far, Modi has simply ignored the motion and has been delivering loose rhetoric against the opposition parties which are so weak that they cannot force Modi to appear in parliament.
The delegation of INDIA met the Governor of Manipur and requested that the government restore peace and rehabilitate affected families at the earliest.
The opposition MPs also submitted a memorandum to the Governor. pic.twitter.com/YLLTKdpYXb
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 30, 2023
As religious and caste conflicts have been increasing in almost all parts of India during the past about 10 years, ethnic violence erupted in the north-eastern state of Manipur between the Meitei people and the Kuki tribal community.
Nearly 150 people have been killed and over 50,000 displaced in the recent spate of violence that began on May 3, 2023. According to a June 2023 investigative report for the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance, hundreds of churches have been destroyed in the conflict.
Although it is being projected as a clash of two communities, actually it is a government-led violence to eliminate Christians from Manipur so that only Hindus could live in the state ruled by Modi’s BJP.
Since the Modi government has turned a blind eye to the violence in Manipur, the opposition parties are demanding a statement from Modi, although a statement in parliament has no meaning at all.
A similar situation was seen recently when the opposition parties were demanding a statement from Modi in the parliament on the Modi-Adani collusion case related to a massive corporate fraud. Modi did not say even a word about the collusion and delivered a long rhetoric just to praise himself.
While the parliament and opposition parties have lost their relevance and the Modi government is reluctant to resolve the issue, the communal disturbance in Manipur is likely to persist and spread in other neighbouring states.
By Rakesh Raman, who is a national award-winning journalist and social activist. He is the founder of the humanitarian organization RMN Foundation which is working in diverse areas to help the disadvantaged and distressed people in the society. He has also launched the “Power Play: Lok Sabha Election 2024 in India” editorial section to cover the news, events, and other developments related to the 2024 election.
