'Adding insult to injury': Congress on Lok Sabha confirmation of President's rule in Manipur

New Delhi: The Congress on Thursday accused the government of "bulldozing" in the Lok Sabha the statutory resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur, and said this was "adding insult to injury".

Taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh said the "frequent flier flies off again".

"This time it is to Bangkok. Look East by all means but why continue to ignore Manipur?" Ramesh said on X.

"And why bulldoze the proclamation on President's Rule in the state at 2AM this morning in the Lok Sabha, leaving just an hour for debate and discussion but just about enough time for the Home Minister's falsehoods, twists, and distortions? This is adding insult to injury," the Congress leader said.

Ramesh's remarks came after the Lok Sabha early Thursday adopted a Statutory Resolution confirming the imposition of President's rule in Manipur.

Replying to a short debate, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the government has taken all possible steps to bring back normalcy in the restive northeastern state.

He said there has been no violence in Manipur in the last four months, adding that talks were on with both Meitei and Kuki communities for a peaceful solution.

"By and large the situation is peaceful. As long as people are in camps, I would not say the situation is satisfactory. The government is taking all possible steps to restore peace in Manipur," he said.

The home minister said the ethnic violence in Manipur had started following an order of the state's high court.

"The day the order came, we sent the central forces by air. There was no delay on our part (in taking action)," he said.

He said, so far, 260 people have died in the violence that started in May 2023 and 80 per cent of them lost their lives within the first month.

Shah said he did not want to compare the violence that had taken place during the tenure of the previous governments but wanted to tell the House about the clashes between the Naga and Kuki communities that took place in the 1990s over five years.

"Sporadic violence continued for a decade where 750 people lost their lives. There were Kuki-Paite clashes in 1997-98 when 352 people were killed. In the Meitei-Pangal clashes in the 1990s, over 100 people died.Neither the then prime minister nor the then home minister visited Manipur," he said.

The home minister also said an impression has been given that violence erupted only during the BJP rule, which is not correct.

Earlier, participating in the debate, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor said his party supported the resolution but wanted the restoration of peace and stability in the state.

"End insurgency, restore peace and stability, promote dialogue with each other, promote inclusivity," he said.

The resolution 'Consideration on the Proclamation issued by the President on the 13th February 2025 under article 356 (1) of the Constitution in relation to the State of Manipur' was adopted by the House by a voice vote.

The violence started after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised against the high court order. There have been many efforts from the central government to bring the warring communities to the negotiating table.