NEW DELHI: The Congress Party hit hat at the government of India over the ongoing violence in Manipur, labeling Home Minister Amit Shah a “total failure” in managing the crisis and demanding his resignation.
During a joint press conference, Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate, Manipur Congress chief K. Meghachandra, Lok Sabha member from Inner Manipur A. Bimol Akoijam, and AICC in-charge of Manipur Girish Chodankar also challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the troubled state in the past 16 months.
Shrinate accused the Prime Minister of prioritizing international issues over the domestic crisis, questioning, “A State in our country has been burning for the last 16 months, and the Prime Minister hasn’t taken a single minute to visit Manipur.”
She praised Rahul Gandhi for his three visits to Manipur, asserting, “Where is the Prime Minister? Why shouldn’t there be an inquiry into the Prime Minister’s Office? The Home Minister should be removed; he has been a total failure.”
Shrinate reported that recent violence had resulted in 11 to 12 deaths in the past 10 days, with rocket-propelled grenades and drones being used to target civilians and villages.
Akoijam criticized the government for the unprecedented level of violence in Manipur, drawing a parallel to the violence of the Partition era. He claimed that the constitutional framework had collapsed, with 60,000 people displaced. “Our Prime Minister seems more concerned about international crises than his own country. Perhaps he doesn’t even see Manipur as part of India,” he said.
Meghachandra noted a significant escalation in violence since September 1, highlighting the use of advanced weapons, drones, and bombings. This surge has led to civilian casualties and widespread protests among students against the government’s handling of the situation.