With the monsoon session of Parliament to begin on 20 July, several political parties have been raising the issue of the Manipur crisis on political lines. The Congress has already mooted a plan to raise the Manipur violence in Parliament. Highlighting the Manipur situation, Congress MP from Assam in the Lok Sabha, Pradyut Bordoloi said, “Violence has gripped the northeastern state since the 3rd of May, 2023, and the situation in Manipur has deteriorated significantly over the past three months, with reports of widespread violence, human rights abuses, and loss of innocent lives.”
Cutting across party lines, he wrote to fellow MPs in both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha, urging them to demand a discussion in Parliament over the crisis in Manipur. The Assam MP claimed that “the escalating conflict between various factions, the armed forces, and insurgent groups has created an environment of fear, insecurity and unrest, adversely affecting the lives of the people living in Manipur.”
A delegation of the National Federation of Indian Women, the women’s wing of the CPI, after its is visit to the violence-torn state, also alleged that “the ongoing disturbance in the northeastern state is not communal but state-sponsored as the government has been acting as an onlooker and has not done enough to quell the violence.”
While the Manipur situation is deteriorating, the Indian Youth Congress has already demanded resignation of Manipur CM N Biren Singh over the ethnic violence.
It is time both the central and Manipur governments gave serious thought to the Manipur violence and initiated dialogue to quell the violence before the opposition parties take advantage of the situation for political gain. The governments at the Centre and the state must initiate bold steps for confidence-building among the communities, and to restore peace in Manipur. At the same time, the Manipur government should take enough measures to ensure sufficient supply of food to the relief camps.