Can’t have Manipur peace at gunpoint: Congress; President’s rule out of compulsion, says BJP

With the state under President’s rule since February 13, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Manipur Budget in Parliament on Monday.

Initiating a discussion on the supplementary demands for grants, excess grants and the Manipur Budget on Tuesday, Gaurav Gogoi, Congress’s deputy leader in the Lok Sabha, said that when a no-confidence motion was moved about 21 months back, Modi had assured that peace would be restored in Manipur soon. But President’s rule was imposed instead, he said.

“This is a very sensitive matter for the country. Since PM Modi himself, during the no-confidence motion in 2023, had said that Manipur was heading towards peace, he should tell us why President’s rule has been imposed, and why he has not visited Manipur so far,” Gogoi said.

“What is the state of the Vidhan Sabha, is it dissolved or in suspended animation,” he asked, adding, “Home Minister will have to take moral responsibility for President’s rule in Manipur. I appeal to Home Minister to follow Rajdharma over his failure in Manipur.”

Gogoi said that when Home Minister Amit Shah visited Manipur about two years back, he had assured that he would return soon. “So I want Home Minister to take moral responsibility… the PM should also visit the state. Peace will not be restored in the Northeast at gunpoint. Peace will not be restored in Manipur at gunpoint and through police patrolling. If you really want peace in Manipur, let the people of Manipur speak, you should have patience to listen to the people there. What are their political aspirations, what are their apprehensions, fears? You should have the strength to listen to it,” he said.

Gogoi said the government only cared about headlines, speeches and optics, but was unaware about the ground situation. Saying that the government had failed in its efforts to restore peace “at gunpoint” over the last two-and-a-half years, he urged it to hold a dialogue with the people of Manipur.

Speaking on the issue, BJP leader and former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb said President’s rule was not forced on Manipur, but was imposed out of compulsion as the Assembly session could not be convened within the prescribed time and constitutional provisions came into play.

Saying that both the Treasury and Opposition benches wanted peace in Manipur, Deb said the Northeast states have seen an infrastructure push after the Modi government came to power at the Centre. “Today, because of the Prime Minister, the Northeast is known across the world,” he said.

President’s rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13, following the resignation of N Biren Singh as Chief Minister on February 9. Since the outbreak of violence in May 2023, nearly 250 people are reported to have died in ethnic clashes in the state. Last week, the Centre’s bid to enforce free movement through the state’s highways was met by fresh violence.