PM Modi greeted with ‘total shutdown’ and protests in Manipur

Guwahati, April 8, 2019:

In what could possibly be seen as a slight by the ruling BJP party, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was greeted by a ‘total’ bandh’ during his visit on Sunday, even though Modi has claimed that Manipur is free from ‘bandhs’ under the BJP regime.

A 17-hour ‘total shutdown’ was called by the Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of Manipur rebel groups to protests the Prime Minister’s visit. The streets of Manipur wore a deserted look as shops and other business establishments were closed down.

Modi arrived in the evening at 5 pm and addressed a BJP rally at Hapta Kangleibung in Imphal. Ironically, while addressing the crowd, Modi said that “bandhs” in Manipur have become a thing of the past due to the ‘chawkidari’ of the Modi Government.

Meanwhile, video footage from the rally shows scores of protestors gathered outside the parade to express their displeasure at the current administration. It could be observed that most of the people protesting the Prime Minister’s visit were women.

https://www.facebook.com/ne.inside/videos/642670746180687/?v=642670746180687&t=25

It may be mentioned that the people of Manipur continue to up-in-arms against the current administration after the introduction of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill which lapsed at the Rajya Sabha in February.

The polling in Manipur will be held in two phases on 11 April (Outer Manipur) and 18 April (Inner Manipur). Counting of votes will take place on 23 May.