New Delhi, Feb 13: The Congress Thursday said it has been demanding imposition of President’s rule in strife-torn Manipur for the past 20 months and the Central government did so only after the fabric of state’s society was allowed to be “severely damaged”.
President’s rule was imposed in strife-torn Manipur on Thursday and the state assembly was put under suspended animation, days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post that led to political uncertainty in the northeastern state.
“Finally what the Indian National Congress has been demanding for almost 20 months has happened. President’s rule has been imposed in Manipur.
“This has come after what the Supreme Court called ‘the absolute breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state’ that saw the killing of over 300 people and displacement of over 60,000 men, women, and children since May 3, 2023,” Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
“This has come after the fabric of Manipur’s society has been allowed to be severely damaged if not totally destroyed,” he said.
Ramesh said this has come after the BJP and its allies got a huge majority in February 2022, but their politics led to the “colossal tragedy” just 15 months later.
“This has come after the Union Home Minister clearly failed to manage Manipur, which had been entrusted to him by the PM.
“This has come even as the globe-trotting PM steadfastly refuses to visit Manipur and begin the process of reconciliation,” the Congress leader said while taking a swipe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the trouble-torn Manipur.
The Manipur assembly, which has a tenure till 2027, has been put under suspended animation, according to a notification issued by the Ministry of Home Affairs.
N Biren Singh, who was heading the BJP government in Manipur, resigned as chief minister after nearly 21 months of ethnic violence that has claimed over 250 lives so far.
He quit on February 9 and submitted his resignation to Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla in Imphal, hours after his meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah. The decision to impose the central rule was taken after the governor sent a report to President Droupadi Murmu. (PTI)
