Manipur has been slowly returning to peace since ethnic clashes broke out on May 3
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today assured the people of ethnic violence-hit Manipur that the country is with them and everyone, together, will work to ensure peace returns soon. He blamed previous successive Congress governments in Manipur and the northeast for leaving behind an extremely unstable situation.
PM Modi also criticised the opposition for playing politics over the Manipur crisis, as opposition MPs walked out just as he started talking about the state, where over 180 have died in Meitei-Kuki ethnic clashes since May 3.
"The centre is working hard to give the harshest punishment to those involved in crimes in the Manipur violence. I request the people of Manipur - mothers, sisters, daughters - the country is with you. Together, we will face this difficulty and ensure peace returns. I promise the people of Manipur, the state will once again take the development journey," PM Modi said.
"The northeast has suffered the most under the long rule of the Congress. Manipur, which has sacrificed so much for the country, never got its due from the Congress. There was a time in Manipur when everything used to be run by insurgents. Whose government was it that time?" PM Modi asked, to which National Democratic Alliance (NDA) MPs responded in unison, "Congress, Congress".
The Prime Minister cited examples from history - the bombing of India's own citizens using air force planes in Mizoram in 1966, and former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's comment that appeared to surrender Assam to advancing Chinese forces in the 1962 war - in his criticism of the Congress.
PM Modi said Manipur has been developing fast in recent years, from road and rail infrastructure to businesses. "... The more we keep politics away, the faster peace will return," he said.
After walking out from the Lok Sabha, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who moved the no-confidence motion, told reporters that PM Modi had been evading three simple questions the newly formed opposition bloc INDIA had placed before him.
"... After struggling for so many days, after so many difficulties, finally today the country is seeing PM Modi speaking in parliament... But he ran away from his responsibility. There were three clear questions in front of him - why is he so adamant about not visiting Manipur? Why the Chief Minister of Manipur has not been expelled? Why was silence maintained on Manipur for so many days? The discussion had been going on for two hours, but we could not see justice for Manipur," Mr Gogoi said.
The Prime Minister referred to Home Minister Amit Shah's long speech in the Lok Sabha yesterday, which he said gave detailed information about the Manipur crisis and the steps the centre has been taking to restore peace and law and order.
Mr Shah had also tore into the opposition in the Lok Sabha during a discussion on the Manipur crisis, asserting that he has been working hard on bringing peace and has been monitoring the situation closely since violence broke out in early May.
The Home Minister recalled how PM Modi dialled him at 4 am and 6.30 am on two consecutive days when reports of violence in Manipur came.
He rejected the opposition's call for imposition of President's rule in BJP-ruled Manipur under Article 356 of the Constitution as playing politics over violence.
"They (opposition) keep saying why we didn't apply (Article) 356? (Article) 356 is applied when during turmoil the state government doesn't cooperate. We changed the DGP, the state accepted the centre's decision. We changed the Chief Secretary, the state accepted the decision," Mr Shah said.
Responding to the opposition's query why Chief Minister N Biren Singh has not been replaced, the Home Minister said, "The Chief Minister is replaced only when the CM doesn't cooperate. This CM is cooperating."
Mr Shah had visited Manipur for three days in June. He met people from both communities and looked into relief arrangements for thousands of internally displaced people.
Kuki groups have been demanding the resignation of Mr Singh. In June, the centre's proposed peace talks with all communities in Manipur failed due to Mr Singh's participation in the dialogue team. The Kukis did not agree to the talks as Mr Singh would be present, after which Manipur's umbrella civil society group COCOMI also decided not to participate in the planned talks.
Over 170 have been killed and thousands have been internally displaced.