New Delhi, Nov 18 (UNI) The Congress on Monday demanded the resignation of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh over their complete failure to control violence and protect life and property in the state.
Addressing a press conference at the AICC headquarters here, party general secretary Jairam Ramesh, state in-charge Girish Chodankar and Manipur Pradesh Congress president Meghachandra Singh urged the Prime Minister Narendra Modi to convene an all-party meeting and also visit the state.
Jairam said it was strange and unprecedented that the Prime Minister had not visited the state despite the fact that Manipur has been burning for the last 18 months, where the ‘double engine’ government had failed and derailed.
Demanding Home Minister’s resignation, he said, the Prime Minister had handed over Manipur to him (Shah) and outsourced the state’s affairs to the Home Ministry.
The Congress general secretary said, Shah’s only achievement has been to protect the Manipur Chief Minister, while he failed to protect the people of Manipur.
The senior Congress leader said, the PM must visit Manipur before the parliament session begins and meet the victims and also visit the relief camps there. He must also meet all party delegation from Manipur and understand what is happening there.
Jairam pointed out, since July 31, 2024, there has been no full time Governor in Manipur. A full-time governor must be appointed immediately, he said.
“Why Union Home Minister is not taking note of the failures of Manipur CM. Why is he trying to protect the CM. Everybody knows about his failures. Their own MLAs are even ready to resign. Why is HM protecting him?” he asked, while referring to the Supreme Court’s observations earlier that law and order had collapsed in the state.
Ramesh observed that if the BJP, PM and HM want to fight honestly against drug mafia in Manipur they must take action on the pending cases in the courts. “Use NIA and other investigating agencies with you”, he told the government, asking, “why are you not taking action? Who is protecting whom and who is benefitting whom?”
“Abduction and killing of innocent civilians has become common, particularly women, children and babies,” Meghachandra Singh said, while reminding the Prime Minister that during election campaigning in February 2017, he had said that those who can’t ensure peace in the state had no right to govern it.
