New Delhi (India), March 22: Congress MP Jairam Ramesh has welcomed the delegation of Supreme Court judges visiting Manipur on Saturday, but raised a significant question regarding the Prime Minister’s visit to the state, which has been facing unrest for nearly a year.
Speaking to ANI, Ramesh expressed his appreciation for the visit by the six judges, who went to a relief camp in Churachandpur, Manipur, to understand the ground situation. However, he emphasized the larger issue at hand: “We welcome the six judges who have gone to Manipur. In the last 22 months, hundreds of people have died, around 60,000 have been displaced and are staying in relief camps, and even today, there is an atmosphere of fear and doubt among the communities in Manipur. President’s rule was imposed on February 13, but the question arises: Even after the Supreme Court itself on August 1, 2023, said that the constitutional system in Manipur had been completely demolished, why did it take 18 months to impose President’s rule? It is good that Supreme Court judges have gone, but the bigger question is when will the Prime Minister visit?”
The Supreme Court delegation, which included Justices BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Vikram Nath, MM Sundresh, KV Viswanathan, and N Kotishwar, visited the relief camp as part of their efforts to better understand the situation in the state.
Ramesh also criticized Home Minister Amit Shah, pointing out that during his four-hour address in the Rajya Sabha about the working of the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), he did not adequately address the Manipur crisis. “Yesterday, the Home Minister gave a response in the Rajya Sabha for about four hours about the work of his Home Ministry, but he did not say much about Manipur. In February 2022, the NDA won the elections with a huge majority, but within 15 months, Manipur started burning. There is no answer to that. There is no answer to why the Prime Minister did not go,” Ramesh said.
The Congress leader questioned the delay in imposing President’s rule and further criticized Shah for visiting Mizoram but not Manipur. He also raised concerns about statements made by the Chief Minister of Mizoram following a trip to the United States, which he described as raising many questions.
“There is no answer to why there was so much delay in imposing the President’s rule. The Home Minister goes to Mizoram, why didn’t he go to Manipur? And the things that the Chief Minister of Mizoram has said after going to America raise many questions,” Ramesh said.
Ramesh called on Prime Minister Modi to visit Manipur, urging him to do so either before or after his scheduled visit to Thailand. “We hope that on his way to Bangkok or while returning from Bangkok, the Prime Minister takes some time to visit Manipur. The Prime Minister’s visit is crucial for a healing touch,” Ramesh added.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to visit Thailand from April 2 to 4 to attend the sixth BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok. The violence in Manipur began on May 3, 2023, following clashes during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU), which was protesting the demand for the inclusion of the Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe category. The state has seen widespread unrest and violence since then, leading to the imposition of President’s rule in February 2024.