The economic blockade in Manipur has been in force for 55 days.
The central government has decided to rush additional 4,000 paramilitary personnel to Manipur in its efforts to reopen a national highway which has been blocked for nearly two months by a Naga group. With this, a total of 17,500 central security personnel have been deployed in the state to assist the local administration in maintaining law and order.
"Our priority is now to reopen the National Highway-2 connecting Manipur (to Nagaland). While the other highway (NH-37) has been reopened, we want to reopen NH-2 as early as possible," a senior Home Ministry official said.
The additional deployment comes in the wake of violence following the economic blockade imposed by the United Naga Council (UNC) on November 1. The UNC has blocked NH-2 (Imphal-Dimapur) and NH-37 (Imphal-Jiribam), which serve as lifelines for landlocked Manipur, for 55 days now.
Curfew has been in force in the districts of Imphal East and Imphal West after a mob torched and vandalised 22 passenger vehicles on the Imphal-Ukhrul road.
In a stern message, the Centre had on Friday told the Manipur government that it can't escape responsibility for the "humanitarian crisis" arising out of the economic blockade and must work to end it. The Centre also said that nobody will be allowed to take political advantage of the situation.
Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, who was on a day-long visit to Congress-ruled Manipur, said it is unacceptable to have such blockades. The central and Manipur governments have to work together to end the blockade.
"The state government has not been able to end the blockade. It must end as soon as possible as law and order are the responsibility of the state government. Nobody will be allowed to take political advantage of the humanitarian crisis," he said.
BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav blamed the Manipur government for the ongoing blockade in the state and said the ruling Congress is playing politics with the lives of people.
"Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh is playing politics with the lives of people of the Manipur valley. The central government has extended all support and sent all the required security forces to clear the blockade on NH-2 and NH-53," he said.
"However, the Manipur chief minister is not acting with the narrow objective of gaining some votes in the forthcoming assembly elections," he added.
"We have been asking the Manipur government to lift the blockade. Law and order is a state subject and so it is the state government's responsibility," he said.
Asked about any plan to impose President's Rule in the state, the senior BJP leader said: "Right now the focus is to push the state government to clear the blockade, which is causing severe trouble to the people."