As the visiting delegation of Opposition leaders met with the Manipur Governor on the second day of their fact-finding visit to the state, senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh strongly criticized the Central Government, stating that only one minister from the ruling NDA had visited the Northeast state since the outbreak of ethnic violence.
Jairam Ramesh, a Rajya Sabha MP from the Congress party, emphasized that the delegation of MPs from the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) was in Manipur to empathize with the pain and suffering of the people and assess the situation of the displaced locals.
He highlighted the disparity between the frequent visits by NDA Union Ministers to Manipur in the lead-up to the 2022 Assembly elections and their lack of response since the outbreak of violence. Only the Union Home Minister visited the state after a delay of over a month, with little discernible impact. In contrast, first Rahul Gandhi and now the delegation of 20 MPs from Team INDIA have visited Manipur, actively engaging with both communities affected by the violence, appealing for peace, and assessing the condition of relief camps.
The Opposition delegation emphasized their commitment to fostering “psychological healing” for the people of Manipur and expressed their readiness to hold talks with the Central Government to restore lasting peace in the state. They criticized the NDA for not sending a similar delegation to the state and extended their willingness to join Prime Minister Narendra Modi if he were to visit with an all-party delegation to work towards establishing peace.
During their visit, the INDIA alliance members visited four relief camps across Manipur, meeting with locals displaced by the violence. Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury, after visiting a relief camp in Bishnupur district, appealed to Manipur CM N Biren Singh to meet the affected people and address the challenges they were facing.
The primary focus of the Opposition delegation’s visit was to understand the ground situation in Manipur, extend support to the affected communities, and advocate for lasting peace and stability in the state.
