Join Discussion In Parliament, Share Experiences Of Manipur Visit: Anurag Thakur To Oppn Bloc

Union Minister Anurag Thakur asked opposition members to join discussions in Parliament and also tell the entire nation how Manipur "used to burn" under Congress rule.

File Photo of Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Thakur

Union Minister Anurag Thakur on Sunday appealed to the opposition MPs who returned from Manipur to join a discussion in Parliament on the ethnic strife in the northeastern state and share their experiences from the visit. His statement comes as Parliament will convene on Monday amid the Monsoon session which has been witnessing sloganeering and protests as the opposition remains persistent in demanding a statement from Prime Minister on the Manipur violence in both Houses of Parliament, a demand rejected by the Union government.

A delegation of 20 MPs from the Opposition bloc went on a two-day visit to violence-hit Manipur on Saturday. The delegation took stock of the ground situation and would make recommendations to the government and the Parliament for a solution. 

The Union Information and Broadcasting Minister reiterated the allegation that the opposition members are running away from discussion in Parliament when the government offered a debate on the Manipur crisis after the Monsoon session began on July 20.

Thakur stressed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has already made a strong statement on the atrocities against women in Manipur, Rajasthan, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh before the Parliament convened for the current session.

"It is my appeal to the opposition members to tell the entire nation how Manipur used to burn for six months even for a year under Congress rule, hundreds of lives would be lost and yet no home minister or prime minister made any statement in Parliament," Thakur said.

कांग्रेस शासनकाल के दौरान मणिपुर महीनों बंद रहता था, सैकड़ों हत्याएँ हो जाती थीं…मगर प्रधानमन्त्री कभी सदन में मुँह नहीं खोलते थे।

हम मणिपुर पर पूरी संवेदनशीलता के साथ सदैव चर्चा के लिए तैयार हैं, उम्मीद है मणिपुर गये सभी सांसद कल सदन में चर्चा के लिए आयेंगे.. भागेंगे नहीं,… pic.twitter.com/lmcFOGORU7

— Anurag Thakur (@ianuragthakur) July 30, 2023

Notably, the opposition parties have moved a motion for no-confidence against the government in an attempt to force a statement from PM Modi. The motion was admitted by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

However, a date for taking up the no-confidence motion is yet to be announced. 

Opposition MPs from various I.N.D.I.A. parties returned to Delhi on Sunday (30 July) after handing over a memorandum to Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey, urging immediate action to restore peace in the northeastern region.

While the delegation asked the Governor to restore normalcy in the state as soon as possible, it also criticised the Union and state governments for turning a blind eye to the state's 'precarious' and 'volatile' situation.