Opposition INDIA bloc: If Manipur issue not resolved soon, it may create security problems for nation

Imphal: Opposition INDIA bloc on Sunday asserted that if the Manipur ethnic conflict, which is lingering for around three months, is not resolved soon, it may create security problems for the country.

A delegation of 21 MPs of the opposition INDIA bloc called on Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhavan and submitted a memorandum on their observations after visiting the northeastern state.

Addressing reporters outside Raj Bhavan after the meeting, Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said, "The governor heard our observations and agreed to those. She expressed pain over the violence and narrated the people's sufferings."

"The governor suggested that an all-party delegation should visit Manipur to talk to both Meitei and Kuki people to remove mistrust among the communities. We also agree to that suggestion," Chowdhury said.

He said that the visiting MPs will present their observations on Manipur in Parliament and try to put pressure on the central government when they get a chance.

"We will speak on the lapses committed by state and central governments in Manipur in Parliament. We appeal to the Centre to have a discussion on the issue in Parliament," he added.

Chowdhury claimed the situation in Manipur is deteriorating every day.

Talking about their experience during the two-day visit, the senior Congress leader claimed the situation has become such that valley people (Meiteis) cannot go to the hills (where Kukis live) and hill people cannot come to the valley.

"There is a huge scarcity of ration, fodder, milk, baby food and all other essential items. Students' education has been hampered. We explained all these to the governor, who said that these issues should be resolved collectively," he added.

The opposition delegation left for Delhi in the afternoon. They had arrived in Manipur on Saturday to assess the ground situation and meet victims of the three-month-long ethnic riots in the state.

On the first day of their two-day whirlwind tour, they visited several relief camps in Imphal, Moirang in Bishnupur district and Churachandpur and met scores of victims of ethnic clashes from both the warring communities.

Besides Chowdhury and Congress' Deputy Leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi, the delegation included Sushmita Dev (TMC), Mahua Maji (JMM), Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (DMK), PP Mohammed Faizal (NCP), Chaudhary Jayant Singh (RLD), Manoj Kumar Jha (RJD), N K Premachandran (RSP) and T Thirumavalavan (VCK).

JD(U) chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh and his party colleague Aneel Prasad Hegde, CPI's Sandosh Kumar, CPI(M)'s A A Rahim, SP's Javed Ali Khan, IUML's E T Mohammed Basheer, AAP's Sushil Gupta, VCK's D Ravikumar and Arvind Sawant (Shiv Sena-UBT) were also part of the delegation.

More than 160 people lost their lives and several hundreds were injured since ethnic clashes broke out in Manipur on May 3, after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute little over 40 per cent and reside in the hill districts.