Manipur: 10 Opposition Parties Send Memorandum To PM Modi, Slam His Silence On Ethnic Violence

The 10 Oppposition parties have shared a joint-memorandum with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in which the parties have criticied Modi's silence on the issue and have listed a series of corrective steps the Centre should take.

The memorandum by the 10 parties —including Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), and the Trinamool Congress, among others— blames the "politics of divide and rule in Manipur" of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the ongoing ethnic strife in the state and calls Chief Minister N Biren Singh its "architect". 

Since May 3, Manipur has been gripped by ethnic violence between the state's tribal and Meitei communities. The tribal communities of the state took out a march against the proposed scheduled tribes (ST) status of Meitis that was followed by statewide violence. Besides common members of both the communities, lawmakers, a Union minister, and sites associated with the BJP have also been attacked. 

While Union Home Minister Amit Shah has visited Manipur and the Centre has announced an investigative panel to look into the causes of strife and has formed a committee to oversee peace-building efforts, the violence in the state continues unabated. The silence of Modi on Manipur has also been criticised. 

Sharing the memorandum on Twitter, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said that Modi was "extraordinarily callous, insensitive and silent on Manipur".

The 10 parties that signed the memorandum are: Congress, AAP, TMC, Janata Dal-United (JD-U), AIFB, CPI, CPI(M), SS(UBT), NCP, RSP.

What does the memorandum say?

The hmemorandum highlighted the continuous violence in Manipur and the inability to contain it despite Shah's visit and assurance.

The 10 parties said that "restoration of peace and harmony in the state is the most urgent requirement" and confidence-building among people is required.

The parties also slammed Modi's silence on the issue and termed Chief Minister N Biren Singh as the "architect" of the violence, alleging that the "politics of divide and rule in Manipur" of the BJP is responsible for the current situation there. 

The parties also noted that the state and Union governments are also "ambiguous" about invoking Article 355 of the Constitution of India. The article assigns the Centre the duty to protect a state from "external aggression and internal disturbance". It is an extremely rare action and is invoked in case of grave breakdown of law and order and is often a precursor to the imposition of president's rule in a state.

The parties also said, "Stoic silence of Hon'ble Prime Minister over the ehtnic violence which has claimed many lives and created havoc for thousands of citizens in Manipur sends a clear message of indiffernce to the people of Manipur."

However, the parties stated that they are opposed to the demand of a "separate administration" of Manipur's tribal areas that was raised by a group of tribal MLAs, including lawmakers from the BJP.

What have the parties proposed?

The 10 parties have listed a set of recommendations to the Centre: 

1. The grievances of all communities must be heard and addressed sensitively.

2. All armed groups should be disbanded and there should be strict adherance of suspension of operations by Kuki militants. 

In the ongoing violence, Kuki tribal militants have repeatedly carried out attacks, according to reports.

3. The parties said that National Highway 2 linking Imphal to Dimapur —described as "lifeline of Manipur"— has been blocked by Kuki organisations since May 3 and the Centre should ensure that it's opened.

4. The sum of Rs 101.75 crore announced by the Centre is not adequate and a "realistic" package of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement, and livelihood should be announced. 

5. Strict vigil should be maintained on the border to prevent entry of illegal migrants from Myanmar into Manipur.