Congress MP questions govt silence on Manipur

NEW DELHI: In a fiery speech, first-time Congress MP from Inner Manipur A Bimol Akoijam expressed his anguish over the absence of any reference to ethnic violence-hit Manipur in President Droupadi Murmu’s address.
In the debate in Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks on the President’s address, he was the last speaker on Monday night. The JNU professor, in a stirring speech, drew attention to the 60,000 people living in “deplorable conditions” in relief camps for the past year.
Articulating concerns of the people of Manipur, Akoijam said, “The hurt, the anger has thrown a nobody like me to be part of this temple of democracy, beating the BJP cabinet minister.Think about the pain,” said Akoijam, who defeated Union minister Rajkumar Ranjan Singh in the polls.
“Our PM remains silent and the President’s address failed to mention this. This silence is not normal,” he said. “Is this silence communicating to the people of the northeast, and particularly Manipur, that you do not matter in the Indian state’s scheme of things?” he said questioning “nationalist party like BJP’s” credentials over Manipur’s tragedy.
He told the House that over 200 people have died, and a civil war-like situation has ensued, while the Indian state has “remained a mute spectator” for one year. “Keep your hands on your hearts and think about the homeless, the mothers and the widows. Think of them and then talk about nationalism,” he said.