A member of a delegation of Left MPs visiting Manipur has described the situation in the state as “appalling” and said the people have “lost faith” in both the government and the armed forces as they have failed to protect them.
The delegation of four Rajya Sabha members — John Brittas and B. Bhattacharya of the CPM, and P. Sandosh Kumar and Binoy Viswam of the CPI — and Lok Sabha member K. Subbarayan of the CPI visited several relief camps in Imphal on Thursday, the first day of their three-day tour of the trouble-torn state.
“The situation is appalling. After visiting seven relief camps in the Imphal valley, it is very clear that the people have lost faith even in the armed forces, including the Assam Rifles, and not just the government, since they have not been able to protect the people whose lives and livelihood are at stake now,” Kumar told The Telegraph.
Kumar was speaking over the phone from Imphal, where the team met a large number of violence-affected people from the Meitei community.
“While we already know that churches have been burnt down and houses destroyed and a large number of people killed, the most dreadful fact is that the government has absolutely no clue about the total casualties or the value of lost or damaged property,” he added.
The delegation will head to Churachandpur on Friday morning to visit relief camps where members of the Kuki community have taken refuge after fleeing their homes.
Kumar said the message that ought to emanate from Manipur and be heard across the country is: “Reject the RSS and the BJP and restore the idea of India.”
He added: “After seeing the ground reality here, it is very clear that all like-minded people should come forward to protect the idea of India and prevent such violence anywhere in the country. Or else, this could happen anywhere.”
The delegation met the Archbishop of Imphal, Dominic Lumon, before heading to one of the biggest relief camps in the city.
Brittas told Kairali TV, a channel based in Kerala: “It is heartbreaking to see men, women, children and newborns left with nothing at a relief centre we visited. Mothers ran for their lives by carrying their children, many of them newborns. Now they are clueless about how long they would have to rough it out at these relief camps amid all the uncertainty and insecurity.”
Brittas said the delegation planned to meet the governor either on Friday or Saturday before they returned.
“We are also meeting leaders of the civil society. Everyone whom we met extended all cooperation since they want us to take their message and the ground reality to Parliament,” he added.