“You have murdered India in Manipur”: Rahul Gandhi in Lok Sabha
Aug 9, 2023 | Pratirodh Bureau
Rahul Gandhi said that the integrity of the Election Commission hinges on an independent process for selecting its leaders, free from executive interference
Launching a scathing attack on Prime Minister Modi during the no-confidence motion debate in the Lok Sabha, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday, August 9, accused the Modi government of murdering India in Manipur.
Amid sloganeering from the treasury benches, Rahul Gandhi said, “The Bharatiya Janata Party has murdered India in Manipur. BJP is anti-national.”
Rahul said that Modi has not spoken to a single person in Manipur not has he visited Manipur to date. This gives rise to the impression that for PM Modi, “Manipur is not a part of India”.
Gandhi added, “From Manipur to Nuh, you have set the entire country on fire” and accused the Modi government for the violence in Manipur and the recent clashes between two groups in Haryana’s Nuh.
Rahul said, “I used the word ‘Manipur’ but the truth is that Manipur does not remain anymore. You have divided Manipur into two. You have divided and broken Manipur.”
The ex-Congress chief said that it appears as if the PM listens to only two people — Adani and Amit Shah. “Lanka was burnt by Ravan’s arrogance. In the same manner, PM’s arrogance is burning the whole country,” said Rahul.
Meanwhile, responding to Rahul Gandhi, Union Minister Smriti Irani said, ” You are not India, you define corruption in India. We wanted a discussion on Manipur, it was the Opposition which ran away from a discussion.”
On 3 May 2023, ethnic violence erupted in Manipur between the Meitei people, a majority that lives in the Imphal Valley, and the tribal community from the surrounding hills. As of 29 July, 181 people had been killed in the violence. More than have been 300 wounded and approximately 54,488 have been left displaced.
On 14 April 2023, acting on a writ petition by the Meitei Tribe Union, that demands the Scheduled Tribe status for the valley-based Meitei community, the Manipur High Court ordered the state government to send a recommendation to the central government, a decision later criticised by the Supreme Court.
To protest the High Court order, the All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur called for a peaceful protest to be conducted on 3 May. After one of these rallies, clashes between Kuki and Meitei groups began near the border between the Churachandpur district and Bishnupur district, followed by house burning. For example, the Kuki people, who predominantly reside in the hill regions surrounding the capital valley, have been viewed as being the target of the present state government’s treatment of indigenous land rights concerns. A majority of the Kuki people are Christian. There have been evictions in Kuki communities as a result of efforts to survey forests, which were ostensibly made to stop the cultivation of poppies.
The Meitei Indigenous community has also experienced a rise in insecurity as a result of the flood of refugees following the military coup in neighboring Myanmar in 2021, particularly those from the Sagaing region. The identities of various ethnic communities have been weaponized in the ongoing struggle. According to several organisations, there have been accounts of partisan killings by security forces, as well as allegations of the police siding with the Meitei community.
Meanwhile, it is being speculated that a panel led by a retired Chief Justice will investigate the violence, while a peace committee will be established under the Governor and security advisor Kuldeep Singh, along with members of civil society. The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) will probe six cases related to conspiracy in the violence, ensuring a neutral investigation to uncover the root causes.