NEW DELHI — Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday wrote to President Droupadi Murmu over the deteriorating situation in Manipur and sought her immediate intervention to ensure that people of the state live peacefully in their homes with dignity.
In his two-page letter to the President, Kharge alleged that both the Union and state governments of Manipur have “completely failed” in restoring peace and normalcy in the state during the last 18 months and the people have lost confidence in them.
Kharge said that the violence has claimed more than 300 human lives, including women, children and babies. “The deteriorating law and order in Manipur has internally displaced nearly a lakh of human population rendering them homeless and forcing them to live in different relief camps,” he said, adding the agony continues unabated.
He said the “refusal” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit Manipur is beyond anybody’s understanding.
“I consider that it has become constitutionally imperative on the part of yourself, Hon’ble Madam, as the President of the Republic of India and the custodian of our Constitution to uphold the constitutional propriety and immediately intervene to ensure the protection of lives and properties of our own citizens in Manipur, as enshrined in the Constitution.
“I am confident that, through your intervention of your esteemed Office, the people of Manipur will again live peacefully in their homes in security with dignity,” Kharge wrote to the President.
Earlier in the day, Congress general secretary incharge communications Jairam Ramesh along with Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra Singh, AICC in-charge of state Girish Chodankar, Inner Manipur MP A Bimol Akoijam and former Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Nabam Tuki met Kharge, apprising him of the situation in the violence-hit state and deliberated on ways to bring peace in the state.
The Congress chief blamed the “deliberate acts of omission and commission” and “inordinate inaction” by the Centre and the state government for the present situation.
“With every passing day, the people of Manipur are becoming insecure on their own soil – their home turf having witnessed their infants, babies, children and women getting mercilessly killed,” he said.
“With no succour coming from the governments involved, they are finding themselves completely isolated and helpless for more than 540 days now. Indeed, they have lost their faith in the Prime Minister of India and the chief minister of the state to protect their lives and properties,” the Congress chief said in his letter.
Kharge said that since May 2023 despite the demand of the people of Manipur, the prime minister has not visited the state. “On the other hand, the Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha has been in Manipur thrice in the last 18 months and I, myself, have visited the state in this period,” he noted.
“The refusal of the prime minister to visit Manipur is beyond anybody’s understanding.
“I and my party strongly believe that the deliberate acts of omission and commission, as indeed inordinate inaction on the part of both the central and state governments, have resulted in complete lawlessness, absence of rule of law, violations of human rights, compromise of national security and suppression of fundamental rights of citizens of our country.
“It also amounts to destruction of the Right to Life with dignity under Article 19 of the Constitution,” Kharge said in his letter to President Murmu.