21-member opposition delegation flies to Manipur on a two-day visit

A 21-member delegation from the grand opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, has left for Imphal on Saturday for a two-day visit to violence-hit Manipur.

The visit came in response to frequent interruptions and adjournments in both Houses of Parliament as a consequence of calls from the Opposition for a discussion on the Manipur situation and a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Notably, the ethnic conflict erupted in the northeastern state after the Manipur High Court ordered the Meitei group to be considered for inclusion on the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Chaos erupted after a video went viral from Manipur that had two women being paraded naked amid the ongoing violence.

The viral video sparked a heated debate and outrage regarding the current political conditions between the BJP-led Centre and the opposition, both within and outside Parliament.

According to sources, the 21-member delegation after landing in Imphal will directly head to Churachandpur by a chopper. It is also anticipated that after meeting the affected families, the group will also hold a press conference at 8.30 pm on Saturday.

The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh, and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD.

Prior to this, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had visited the state and assured people that every possible step will be taken to restore peace in the state.