Opposition members on Thursday walked out of a meeting of the parliamentary standing committee on home affairs after being prevented from raising the Manipur violence.

Congress MPs Digvijaya Singh and Pradip Bhattacharya and Trinamul’s Derek O’Brien walked out of the meeting, held to discuss prison reforms, when their request to discuss the more urgent matter of Manipur was turned down.

Any discussion on Manipur would have been likely to highlight Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s baffling silence on the unrest, which entered its 65th day on Thursday.

After their walkout, the three Opposition MPs submitted a joint letter to the committee chairman, Brij Lal of the BJP, arguing the panel had a moral and constitutional responsibility to discuss the Manipur unrest with the utmost urgency and sincerity.

“Having been a senior police officer yourself, you understand the gravity of the situation in the state. Manipur needs healing and an end to the violence. We as elected representatives cannot look away,” the letter said.

Brij Lal was an IPS officer before becoming a Rajya Sabha member.

Digvijaya and O’Brien had earlier written separately to the chairman demanding an urgent meeting of the standing committee to discuss Manipur. Lal had informed them individually that such a meeting could not be held urgently as three meetings on prison reforms had been scheduled for July.

Thursday’s meeting was to hear the views of the governments of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana on the subject “Prison: Conditions, Infrastructure and Reforms”.

Digvijaya’s letter had said: “It is painful to mention that Manipur is burning for the last 50 days and over 100 people have died, over 300 (are) injured and more than 50,000 displaced. It is heartbreaking to learn that 40 women gave birth to children in relief camps.

“Schools are closed in Manipur and people are struggling to get their children admitted to schools of Mizoram. Bank ATMs are empty and online transfers are not happening because of (the) Internet ban.

“The state is facing a civil war-like situation. Over 250 churches, over 100 temples and over 2,000 houses have been burnt down. It is truly distressing that the standing committee for home is discussing jail reforms.”

Digvijaya had suggested that the committee’s agenda be changed and the panel find out what steps the central and state governments had taken to restore normalcy in Manipur. “Prison reforms can be discussed (on) any other occasion,” his letter had said.

The development comes at a time the Prime Minister’s continuing silence on the Manipur unrest has perplexed political circles.

Congress communications chief Jairam Ramesh posted a video of Rahul Gandhi’s recent visit to Manipur and tweeted: “Meanwhile the Prime Minister is visiting Chhattisgarh and UP tomorrow. Day after he will be in Telangana and Rajasthan. More photo-ops. More distorted facts. More insults aimed at the Opposition. More self-glorification. But not a word on Manipur even after 66 (sic) days. Not an iota of expression of pain, grief & anguish...."