MPCC Vice President Tilotama Loitongbam criticised the BJP government over the ongoing unrest in Manipur and urged immediate action to secure release of hostages.
Imphal, May 25: The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee on Sunday sharply criticised the BJP-led governments at the Centre and the State over the ongoing unrest in Manipur, accusing the administration of failing to act decisively on issues related to hostages, highway blockades and public safety.
Speaking at a press conference held at Congress Bhavan in Imphal, MPCC Vice President Tilotama Loitongbam said that the ruling government should stop “closing the barn door after the horse has bolted” and instead take timely preventive measures to avoid further violence and suffering.
She alleged that the government was reducing its responsibility to merely announcing ex-gratia compensation or handing cases over to the National Investigation Agency after incidents had already taken place.
According to Tilotama, the present situation in Manipur has created confusion among the public regarding whom to approach and how to seek action from the authorities. Referring to recent unrest and incidents involving detained individuals, she appealed to all sides to safely release hostages and reunite them with their families on humanitarian grounds.
“Many communities living together have coexisted since time immemorial. Therefore, in the interest of human compassion, release the hostages who are being held captive,” she said.
Stating that “human blood is not like drain water,” the Congress leader urged all sections of society to work towards restoring peace and coexistence in the state. Tilotama also questioned the response of the BJP-led government, alleging that no strong public appeal had been made by the Chief Minister asking communities to release those being held captive.
“At such a critical juncture, the Chief Minister leading the BJP has not been heard making a single appeal to any community to release the hostages,” she said.
She further alleged that the government appeared to believe its responsibility ended with offering compensation or transferring investigations to central agencies after violence had occurred.
According to her, governance involves protecting the rights, lives and property of citizens, and the present administration had failed in carrying out those responsibilities effectively.
The MPCC leader said that the continuing incidents of violence and destruction reflected what she described as an “absence of administration” in the state. She urged the government to immediately formulate a concrete action plan and roadmap to prevent further escalation and restore normalcy.
Criticising the BJP government further, Tilotama alleged that the administration had become insensitive to the suffering of ordinary citizens.
“The cries of the suffering people do not vibrate in their ears,” she said, while accusing the government of lacking compassion towards the people affected by the ongoing crisis. She also raised concern over restrictions on movement between communities and the continued disruptions along National Highways.
According to Tilotama, people belonging to one community are unable to freely travel through areas dominated by another community, while highway blockades continue to affect the movement of citizens and essential goods.
She pointed out that there are legal provisions under the National Highway Protection Act and questioned why the government had failed to ensure free movement on highways. “The current administration has completely failed,” she alleged.
The Congress leader said women and children were among those suffering the most under the present circumstances and held the BJP governments at both the Centre and the State responsible for the situation. She further stated that if any harm comes to the hostages currently being held, the responsibility would lie with the government for failing to act in time.
Calling on the government to demonstrate visible action, Tilotama said merely remaining in power without resolving the crisis was no longer acceptable to the people. She also appealed to the Chief Minister and Deputy Chief Ministers to take stronger measures to restore harmony among communities without compromising the territorial integrity of Manipur.
“Try to bring a solution among us without breaking the integrity of Manipur,” she said.
Warning that continued violence and killings would further deepen public anger, she said accountability for such incidents would remain with the BJP-led governments. She urged the ruling party to “wake up” and respond seriously to the ongoing crisis in the state.
Sarma Mutum also attended the press conference.
