PM Modi breaks silence on real opposition victory in Manipur, says Congress

NEW DELHI: The Congress on Thursday said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s breaking silence on the Manipur violence after “one and a half years” is a “victory for the opposition”.

“He has not spoken about Manipur for one and a half years. Finally, yesterday (Wednesday), he broke his silence on Manipur. This is a real victory for the opposition,” AICC general secretary KC Venugopal said.

Venugopal said the opposition disrupted the proceedings of the Lok Sabha on Tuesday due to the government’s refusal to allocate five minutes to a Manipur MP to speak before Prime Minister Modi’s reply to the motion of thanks on the President’s address.

“They were not ready, and that’s why the trouble started,” he said.

Prime Minister Modi on Wednesday said the Congress should “stop politicising” the Manipur issue.

“Today, schools, colleges, offices and other institutions are open in the state. The central and state governments are talking with all stakeholders to restore peace,” he said.

“The Union Home Minister has been there for several weeks. The central government is extending all cooperation to Manipur to deal with the current flood situation in the state. Today, two teams of NDRF have reached Manipur. I warn that those who try to add fuel to the fire will be rejected by Manipur. Congress has imposed President’s rule in Manipur 10 times,” he added.

Since May 3 last year, tensions in Manipur have been ongoing due to clashes during a protest rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) against the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribes category.