HT Digital
GUWAHATI, JUNE 25: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) on Tuesday launched a strong attack on the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, accusing it of not stopping the violence in Manipur, which has been agitated by a violent conflict for over two years. Speaking at a press conference in Manipur Press Club in Imphal, AAP’s northeast in-charge Rajesh Sharma blamed the BJP for the current unrest, saying that as long as the party was in power, peace would be out of reach not only for Manipur, but for the whole nation as well.
Sharma faulted the central government for failing to follow through on its own guarantees and placed the blame for the deteriorating situation in the state on its failure to do so. He referred to the ongoing interference with free movement on national highways in Manipur as proof of the BJP government’s inability to protect the constitutional rights of its people. In Sharma’s view, BJP rule is characterized by polarization and violence, frequently along religious or caste lines. “We refer to this party as the ‘Jagara Party’,” he said, blaming it for being conflict-based. Until the BJP exists, there will not be peace in the nation.
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Reiterating AAP’s solidarity with the people of Manipur, Sharma said that the party will continue to put pressure on the central government to take firm action to restore normalcy, both within and outside Parliament. He appealed to the people of Manipur to take a vow to remove the BJP from the political scenario of the state in the interests of peace and unity.
Attending the press meet, AAP Manipur coordinator Bishwanath Thingam called for more transparency in the current peace talks between the Government of India and Kuki-based civil society organisations (CSOs) and militant groups under the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement. Thingam claimed the Centre was not being truthful to the people and accused it of playing politics with the conflict.
Sharma also expressed apprehension at the Union Home Ministry’s wavering position on the cause of the conflict. He wondered why, after previously accusing illegal immigrants of causing the crisis, the Ministry has been unsuccessful in expelling them. “First, the Home Ministry stated that illegal immigrants were responsible for the violence. Now, they say something different altogether,” he alleged, accusing the government of changing its narrative to suit its own ends.
The AAP leaders emphasized ensuring transparency in the current discussions with both the Meitei and the Kuki groups. “There must be transparency regarding what is discussed and what has been agreed upon,” Sharma opined, adding that without it, lasting peace would never be attained.
Thingam also warned the Centre against scapegoating the Meitei and Kuki people in a crisis already causing deep social cleavages. He reiterated AAP’s unshakeable commitment to defending Manipur’s territorial integrity and cautioned against any deal that could encroach on the state’s borders.
Finally, AAP called on the central government to bring an end to the long-standing crisis at the earliest and to safeguard the constitutional rights of Manipur citizens as citizens of a democratic nation. The party has claimed that peace, justice, and transparency should be the pillars of any resolution in the future.
