Cong seeks Manipur CM's removal, says peace not possible under him

NEW DELHI: Various opposition parties Saturday urged the government to take immediate steps to restore peace in violence-hit Manipur and send an all-party delegation to the state, with the Congress and some others demanding the removal of Chief Minister N Biren Singh saying peace under him is not possible.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who convened an all-party meeting in Parliament complex, said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been constantly monitoring the Manipur situation since day one and ''guiding us with full sensitivity'' to find a solution to the problem.

Eighteen political parties including the BJP and four MPs from the northeast and two chief ministers from the region attended the meeting.

Presenting an eight-point charter of demands on behalf of the Congress at the meeting, former chief minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh said it was unfortunate that he was not allowed more time to put across his views towards the end of the meeting.

Singh said the meeting should have been chaired by Modi ''who has not said a single word on Manipur in the past 50 days'' when violence first struck the state on May 3.

''I barely had 7-8 minutes to share my views. Manipur is my home state. I asked for additional five minutes to express my opinions, but it was denied. This is unfortunate,'' he said.

''We are not coming here for political gains. We want peace. This is not the time to politicise. We want restoration of normalcy and peace in Manipur,'' Singh also said.

''The state government has failed miserably in providing effective governance when it is needed most. The chief minister himself has admitted publicly twice his failure to handle the situation and deal with the crisis. He has also asked for forgiveness of the people. The chief minister should be replaced immediately,'' he said.

On whether the home minister presented a roadmap for peace in Manipur, he replied in the negative.

Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP leader Conrad K Sangma said he attended the meeting. He said the NPP expressed concern over the tension in Manipur and urged the government to take all the necessary steps to ensure peace. ''NPP has requested the Government of India to ensure sufficient supply of relief materials and essential commodities to all the affected locations and the relief camps. ''Stringent action should be taken against any armed groups involved in violence to bring them under control,'' he said on Twitter.

TMC leader Derek O'Brien said, ''After the meeting of our leaders in Patna, within 24 hours the Opposition spoke in one united voice for Manipur, the Northeast and India.'' Congress leader Jairam Ramesh later said at a press conference that this is just a ''small beginning'' and hoped that Modi will give his valuable time to Manipur after his return from Egypt. ''Our demand - Prime Minister should break his silence on Manipur. Had the Prime Minister presided over this all-party meeting and it had taken place in Imphal, a clear message would have gone to the people of Manipur that their pain and distress is also a matter of national anguish'' he said.

''Today's meeting is a formality and to create headlines. This matter will not be resolved by headlines. The government needs to hear out people and show a large heart. The government must provide good governance and must make serious efforts. The prime minister should take this seriously,'' Ramesh said.

On Ibobi Singh not being allowed to make his points, he said, ''This is an insult of not just Ibobi Singh, who is a senior leader of Manipur and has remained chief minister thrice, but is also an insult of the Congress party and of Manipur.'' Tiruchi Siva (DMK) said, ''We expressed our concern that a part of north eastern India - Manipur is burning. We see some videos that depicts the sad state of children and women suffering. We suggested that an all party delegation be sent to Manipur to study the situation there. Serious steps have to be taken to restore normalcy and peace in the state. The Home minister listened to us and said steps are being taken to restore peace.'' Manoj Jha (RJD) said the entire opposition went to the extent of saying that the person who is heading the administration, ''there is absolutely no trust in him. So you cannot broker peace unless that person is removed.'' ''Manipur needs a healing touch and there should not be a divided face but a united one. If there is no faith in the person heading the state, then bringing peace is not possible,'' he noted.

Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi said the the outcome and the expectation that all parties have is that there is no peace in Manipur yet. Despite the Home Minister's visit, we continue to see violence there, she said.

''There is a huge trust deficit between the state government and the people of the state. There is a huge distrust with the Central government too. With the prime minister staying quiet on the issue, there is a sense of abandonment as the prime minister has not even spoken a word. We have expressed our concerns.

''Whatever is the outcome of this meeting should be for the people of Manipur. I am hoping that the home minister will work on it on priority,'' she told reporters.

Noting that they got the assurance from the Home Minister that he will take all suggestions in a constructive way, she said, ''but there is a difference between the words said and action taken. We are hoping that this time his words would match the actions.'' On the demand for an all-party delegation to visit Manipur soon, she said, ''We need to extend an outreach that people of India care for what is happening in Manipur. For peace to return, there has to be a cooperative spirit from the government as far as the opposition demand for visiting Manipur.'' Ramesh said they have demanded that weapons and arms should be taken away from all the militant groups in Manipur immediately. Ibobi Singh earlier said this meeting would have been better had it been chaired by the prime minister and held in Imphal. ''This would have sent a clear message to the people of Manipur that their pain and distress are also a matter of national anguish,'' he said, while demanding that all rebel groups must be disarmed immediately without any compromise.

''The Congress and some other parties also demanded that an all-party delegation be sent to Manipur and we hope that the prime minister will hold a similar meeting after his return from abroad,'' he said.

The request for a visit by an all-party delegation to Manipur was raised by most of the parties but the government remained non-committal, sources said.

Singh said the unity and territorial integrity of Manipur should not be compromised at any cost.

''A package of relief, rehabilitation, resettlement, and livelihood for the affected people must be prepared without delay. The relief package announced is grossly inadequate,'' he told reporters.

Ramesh later tweeted, ''The all-party meeting organised by the Home Minister today was just an eye-wash and a formality.''