Video of Congress MP Akoijam's Parliament speech on Manipur crisis goes viral

Imphal: A video clip from the ongoing Parliament session has gone viral on social media in Manipur, showing a Congress MP from the state demanding that Prime Minister Narendra Modi break his silence on the ongoing crisis in the violence-hit state.

In the video, Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, the newly elected MP from the Inner Manipur Lok Sabha constituency and former professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University, delivered an impassioned speech during a late-night parliamentary session on Monday.

Dr. Bimol, representing the Opposition Congress, expressed his deep concern over the Manipur crisis, which has now entered its 11th month as of July 3, 2024. During his speech in the motion of thanks, he drew attention to the plight of the 60,000 people suffering in relief camps.

"If you hear anxiety, anguish, and pain in my voice, please go back and see those 60,000 people languishing in the relief camps," Dr. Bimol urged, addressing parliamentarians, including the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister.

"Don't talk about the Partition Remembrance until you've been there. I will keep quiet the moment the Prime Minister opens his mouth and the nationalist party says that Manipur is part of India and we care for the people of that state. Only then will I accept what is nationalism," he said.

Amid applause and table-thumping from the opposition benches, Dr. Bimol continued, "The kind of priority given to Manipur is reminiscent of a colonial mindset in a post-colonial era. More than 60,000 people are homeless, and 200 lives have been lost. This is not a joke. Yet, our Prime Minister remains silent, and the President did not mention Manipur in her joint address."

Challenging the government's handling of the situation, he added, "Can you negate the fact that we are talking about the inclusion of Northeast history after 75 years of Independence? That’s a classic exclusion.”

Dr. Bimol also criticized the government's inability to protect the lives and properties of Manipur's residents despite the heavy deployment of central armed forces.

“It (Manipur) is one of the most militarized areas in the country where armed police outnumber civil police, besides the armed forces of the union. Despite this, how were more than 60,000 people rendered homeless and thousands of houses destroyed? And yet our Prime Minister remains silent and doesn’t mention it in the President’s speech,” said the Congress MP.