LoP in the Rajya Sabha and Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge
Credit: PTI Photo
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday faced criticism in Rajya Sabha for not visiting ethnic violence-hit Manipur even as Home Minister Amit Shah accused them of "politicising" the situation while insisting that no Congress Prime Minister visited the north-eastern state when similar incidents took place in the past.
Participating in the debate on a motion to approve President's Rule in Manipur that started at 2:35 AM and concluded at 4:02 AM, Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders demanded restoration of peace in the state, a White Paper on the incidents in the state and Assembly election at the earliest as President's Rule was not a remedy.
Kharge asked Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit strife-torn Manipur at the earliest to restore order while accusing the union government of failing to govern the state. "I would urge the prime minister to visit Manipur, meet the affected people and resolve their issues and set right the law and order situation there," he said.
He alleged that for nearly two years, Manipur has been burning and the government has "totally failed" in stopping the violence though the "double-engine" BJP government promised stability. "When one of our states is burning under your rule, you can't be a bystander," he said.
Trinamool Congress floor leader Derek O'Brien said, "we have done a calculation. How much has the Prime Minister travelled nationally and internationally in the last 22 months (after violence erupted in Manipur)? (It is) 3.80 lakh km. I may be wrong by a 1,000 km this way or that way.”
“I have another number. 3.80 lakh km is the distance between planet Earth and the moon. The man who has travelled 3.80 lakh km could not take a flight to a state called Manipur that is 2,400 km away,” he added.
AAP's Sanjay Singh also found fault with the Prime Minister for not visiting Manipur, while asking for initiating election process in the state. Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi too asked for a Manipur visit by the Prime Minister, as she felt that it would help restore normalcy in the strife-torn state.
Responding to the allegations, Shah alleged that the opposition was "politicising" violence. He said when similar incidents took place in Manipur under the Congress regime, no prime minister visited the state
He said there was an over 200 days long curfew in Manipur and even during those days, no Prime Minister visited Manipur.
While the Opposition parties supported the motion, all of them felt that the government had not done enough to deal with the situation. DMK's Kanimozhi NVN Somu (DMK) said president's rule was a direct assault on federalism.