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As Parliament remained in deadlock over the Manipur issue Monday, the Rajasthan Assembly passed a resolution urging the Central government to take steps to contain incidents of violence in Manipur and restore peace. The West Bengal Assembly will discuss the matter during the ongoing Monsoon Session, it was decided at an all-party meeting.
Under attack over the sexual assault of Manipur women caught on video, the BJP has been trying to corner Opposition-ruled states over crimes against women, including Rajasthan and West Bengal.
“The law-and-order situation in Manipur has been worrying for the last few months and the situation is continuously deteriorating. The violence does not seem to be stopping even after the orders and instructions given by the Central government and the Manipur state government,” the resolution, proposed by state parliamentary affairs minister Shanti Dhariwal in the Rajasthan Assembly, said.
It added, “The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly urges the Central government to take all necessary steps without delay so that peace can be established there in the interest of the country. The Rajasthan Legislative Assembly appeals to the people of Manipur to maintain mutual harmony and move forward towards establishing peace.”
Additionally, the House requested the Centre to bring to the public domain the data of the Socio-Economic Caste Census conducted between 2011 and 2015 and to conduct a caste survey in the country.
On Monday, an all-party meeting was held in West Bengal, which was boycotted by the BJP and the Indian Secular Front (ISF).
“It has been decided that a discussion will be held in the Assembly on the situation in Manipur and the humanitarian crisis that the Northeastern state is facing. The date and under which rule the discussion will be held is yet to be decided,” TMC chief whip Nirmal Ghosh told news agency PTI.
The ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC), which had also sent a five-member party delegation to assess the situation on the ground, has been alleging that the “divisive” policies of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and Manipur led to the ethnic strife in Manipur.
The BJP, however, has kept up its narrative of first wanting a discussion on the violence in the panchayat polls in the House.
“The state government is trying to divert attention from its failures. We want discussions on women’s safety in Bengal, and panchayat poll violence in the state,” BJP’s Siliguri MLA Sankar Ghosh said.
The state’s Monsoon Session, which started Monday, is likely to continue for two weeks.
