Manipur: Biren Singh Govt ‘s Continuance Big Hurdle in Restoring Peace, Say Left MPs After Visit

New Delhi: The continuance of the Biren Singh government is a major impediment in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur, claimed a joint delegation of CPI(M) and CPI parliamentarians following a three-day visit to the violence-hit northeastern state.

In a statement, the parties said all communities and sections along with the civil society need to be brought on board for a meaningful exercise to "bring the state from the edge".

The delegation of Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya and John Brittas of the CPI(M) and Binoy Viswam, K Subbarayan and P Sandosh Kumar of CPI visited refugee camps in the state for three days from July 6.

The delegation, which interacted with the refugees in the plains and hills could not miss the fact that there was a striking similarity in their long ordeal.  More than 60,000 people have been uprooted, their lives and livelihoods devastated. They are haunted by the trauma of their houses being set ablaze and family members shot dead.

The delegation had frank discussions with cross-sections of the civil society. The dominant view was that the state administration collapsed completely with the chief minister losing legitimacy and credibility," according to a statement from the delegation.

It said that the joint delegation of CPI(M) and CPI, after visiting strife-torn Manipur, is of the view that the continuance of the Biren Singh government is a "major impediment in restoring peace and normalcy in the state".

People in the state are "pained and hurt at the deafening silence of the prime minister", the statement claimed.

The delegation had called on Governor Anusuiya Uikey and urged her to take all possible steps to placate the situation.

"The governor said that she was distraught by the events and confided that she never met with such a situation in her life. She said that she was diligently submitting detailed reports to the president, prime minister, defence minister and the home minister," it said.

The statement also said the delegation noted that though 60,000 armed personnel from different forces are deployed in the ethnic strife-torn state they are not effective in the absence of a functional civil administration.

"Thousands of government employees belonging to Kukis and Meiteis have fled the valley and hills respectively, crippling the administration.

"The delegation noted that there were systematic and orchestrated attempts to bring a communal turn to the ethnic violence. The role of the political leadership in this also is generally felt," it said.

The delegation felt that all charges, accusations, claims and counterclaims be kept in abeyance and the sole aim should be to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur.

The Centre and the state administrations should make all efforts to rally all sections, declare urgent measures for the rehabilitation and mitigate the sufferings of the people," it said.