Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has raised concerns over the inability of the state government to evacuate stranded people to safer places, despite receiving security support from central forces. The present communal tension has been ongoing for almost six days, and the MPCC is questioning why the state government has not taken action to help those who are affected.
Speaking at a press conference held at Congress Bhawan on May 8, MPCC President Keisham Meghachandra Singh attributed the present tension to the failure of the home department. Singh stated that the unfortunate incident, which has claimed several lives and damaged many properties, could have been avoided if the state government had intervened at the right time.
Singh pointed out that the state government has deployed over 35,000 security forces, and an additional 14,000 central forces have been deployed to control the situation. Despite this, the state government has failed to evacuate stranded people to safer places, which is very unfortunate.
"People of both communities who got stuck in relief camps are suffering because of inadequate relief materials and eatable items," Singh said. "The state government should prioritize the shifting of people taking relief in hotspot places like Moreh, Churachandpur in safe zones."
Singh also expressed concern over the contradictory statements made by government officials. "The promulgation of Article 355 was published and broadcasted in all media, including national, but surprisingly, adviser (Security), government of Manipur, Kuldeip Singh, had expressed that there is no promulgation of such article in the state of Manipur. Expressing contradictory remarks in such a traumatic condition is very unfortunate," he said. Singh urged the state government to clarify whether Article 355 has been promulgated and to provide the security status of the state.
Singh appealed to all communities of the state to control their emotions and sentiments to restore peace in Manipur as soon as possible. He also urged the authorities to control the price rise of all commodities, including flight charges, in the wake of the present crisis.