Road to 2024 | Parliament Session stalled once again, why Opposition thinks Manipur is different

Careful to not step into the Meitei-Kuki faultline in the state, the Opposition is framing the breakdown of Manipur law and order as a failure of the BJP government in the state as well as an abdication of responsibility by the PM, who first spoke up about the crisis in the state after the video surfaced, nearly three months into the violence.

While it is not the first time that the Opposition is targeting the PM, especially since Modi is synonymous with the BJP government and the party, its attempts to do that earlier by raising corruption and crony capitalism charges did not make a dent in Modi’s popularity. This held true both in the controversy involving the Adani Group and the purchase of Rafale fighter jets, in which Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had led the charge.

Neither has the Opposition been able to evoke popular support against the PM on issues like toppling of governments in states, alleged misuse of Central agencies like the CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED), and “undermining” of federalism. Not to mention its allegations that the BJP uses polarising issues to swing elections its way.

The difference this time is the power of the visual.

The Opposition believes the Modi government cannot wriggle out of the Manipur issue that easily. Apart from “exposing” the BJP’s claims regarding being more effective on law and order, it also raises questions over its assertion of “securing” India’s borders. Manipur violence has continued now since May 3, along a restive border with Myanmar.

Plus, there is the crack in the Modi government’s significant symbolism of reaching out to Scheduled Tribes by electing Droupadi Murmu as the country’s first tribal President, who is also a woman.

The Opposition, which has found early success in forging a united front against the BJP, thinks all these issues will pay dividends in battleground states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra when it comes to 2024 – particularly when the BJP is likely to frame its campaign around a double-engine narrative.

For now, the Manipur issue ranks highest on the Opposition agenda, displacing earlier plans to highlight Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi’s functioning (as sought by the DMK), to fight back against a Bill to replace the Central ordinance on services in Delhi (which is the Aam Aadmi Party’s main concern), to raise questions over the BJP-engineered split in the NCP in Maharashtra, after the Shiv Sena, to raise issues such as price rise (the Left had insisted on this), and to protest against the alleged misuse of the ED and CBI.

One Opposition leader said: “All these issues still figure high on our agenda. But the government can counter us on them by digging into history… They will cite 10 precedents. But, on Manipur, they are genuinely on the back foot… That is why the Prime Minister broke his silence after over two months.”

The fact that the BJP has pooled in its resources to target Opposition governments in Rajasthan and West Bengal also shows that they realise “there has been a failure in handling the Manipur crisis”, the leader added.

Some of the leaders also believe that the BJP, if pushed to the wall hard enough, would ask Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh to step down. “They may sacrifice him, and he knows that… And if the BJP asks Singh to resign, it will be a moral victory for the united Opposition,” a leader said.

1/8

The Parliament’s Monsoon Session resumed Monday with the united Opposition alliance reiterating its demand for a suo moto statement from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the Manipur violence. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

2/8

The Lok Sabha, which began the Question Hour amidst the sloganeering of Opposition MPs, adjourned its proceedings for 30 minutes as the chaos continued. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

3/8

In the first joint protest, Opposition-front INDIA demanded PM Modi's statement on Manipur violence in Parliament. The Lok Sabha witnessed scenes of ruckus as Opposition MPs raised placards and slogans demanding PM Narendra Modi's statement on the ongoing violent situation in Manipur. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

4/8

The Rajya Sabha was adjourned three times by 2:30 pm today, after proceedings kept getting washed out due to the standoff between the government and the Opposition over the Manipur issue. While the audio was not clear on what TMC MP Derek O’Brien said, Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar reprimanded him, saying, “You are challenging the Chair.” (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

5/8

Union Home Minister Amit Shah said that the government is ready for a discussion on Manipur and requested the Opposition to let a discussion take place on the issue. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

6/8

Chairman Jagdeep Dhankar also suspended AAP MP Sanjay Singh for the entire duration of the Monsoon session for “repeatedly violating the directives of the Chair”. Sanjay Singh was seen in the Well of the House before being suspended. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

7/8

Reacting to the standoff between the government and the Opposition over the Manipur issue, Samajwadi Party (SP) MP Jaya Bachchan said, "Manipur is being discussed internationally, but not in India... what more can I say? It's a shame. They don't want discussions to happen." (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

8/8

The Opposition parties are also planning to hold an overnight protest in the Parliament complex against the suspension of AAP MP Sanjay Singh from the Rajya Sabha today and also to press for the Prime Minister’s statement on the Manipur issue. (Express photo by Anil Sharma)

But the question is how long will the Opposition keep up if the government doesn’t budge over getting the PM to make a statement, particularly as different parties want to corner the government on issues which are either specific to their states or common across the country.

For now, it’s a battle of wills. And the Modi government has time and again shown it has plenty. The last Parliament Session too had been a washout as it stalled the Opposition’s demand for a JPC or a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the Adani saga, even as NCP chief Sharad Pawar’s prevarication on the matter took the sting out of the Opposition’s attack.