The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Sunday criticised President Droupadi Murmu's recent Lok Sabha address for omitting any mention of the ongoing "Manipur Crisis," which has persisted for over a year. Speaking at the state party office in Imphal, Manipur PCC working president K. Devabrata expressed the party's disapproval during a press briefing today.
He condemned the exclusion of the Manipur Crisis, which he described as one of the country's most pressing issues from the President's speech delivered on June 27.
"Feel humiliated and frustrated about the space given by the President of India in the first joint session of the two Houses in the Parliament, "Devbrata stated.
He stated that the President's duty under Article 87 of the Indian Constitution to convene and summon a joint session of Parliament before any business transactions commence. Devabrata noted that the Constitution requires the President to explain to the members of both Houses the reasons for convening the joint session.
"We believed that the president would put the Manipur crisis in a harder space, why? Because this is the most serious crisis the country has faced," he said, adding, "Narco-terrorism and influx of militants are creating havoc in the state and waging a war against the state. At this level of seriousness, the President fails to mention Manipur in her speech".
Devabrata expresses his dismay at the President's omission, especially when the speech included several photographs of the North East, mentioning resolved disputes and signed agreements. "Wonderfully disturbing situation how the President could have avoided mentioning Manipur while they are big 1-30 paragraphs, in the area mentioned for the NE she mentions about all dispute being dissolved and many important agreements signed. Keeping the agreements apart, there are numerous disputes in the NE, conflicts within the community or against the govt, none of the older issues have been resolved," he said.
Since May last year, Manipur has experienced clashes between Kuki and Meitei communities, resulting in at least 225 deaths and displacing around 50,000 people, many of whom are still living in relief centres.