Silencing Lone Voice for IDPs from Manipur in Parliament

Dr. Bimol Akoijam stands as a paragon of parliamentary courage and moral fortitude, a lone sentinel battling for Manipur's forgotten amid a sea of ruling party indifference. As the Congress MP from Inner Manipur, he has single-handedly transformed the Lok Sabha into a platform for the voiceless, persistently demanding for few hours in the Lower Houee to force a discussion on the crisis. 

His latest effort on December 16, 2025—mere days after the BJP's much-publicized Delhi unity meet—was yet again rejected, continuing a pattern of evasion that underscores the government's fear of scrutiny. Bimol Akoijam's motions are not partisan theatrics; they are meticulously crafted pleas rooted in constitutional imperatives. He highlights the dire plight of IDPs facing their third winter in relief camps, the absence of an official inquiry report allowing vested interests to spread divisive lies through sham "fact-finding" missions, and the urgent need for legislative oversight to ensure accountability, peace, and dignified rehabilitation. 

In a shocking sabotage of fragile peace efforts in Manipur, Kuki militants unleashed heavy gunfire and bomb attacks on the night of December 16, 2025, targeting newly resettled Meitei villages in the sensitive Torbung and Phougakchao Ikhai areas of Bishnupur district. This brazen assault came mere days after hundreds of Meitei internally displaced persons—forced into relief camps for over two years—had courageously returned home under government facilitation, only to face terror aimed at derailing reconciliation. 

Though no casualties were reported, but the incident has reignited fear, displaced families once more, and exposed the vulnerability of unauthorised buffer zones created by Kuki CSOs long plagued by ethnic divisions.Most alarming is the deafening silence from certain MLAs, including those from the Kuki community who participated in the historic BJP-led peace meeting in Delhi just  four days earlier—the first joint sitting of legislators from both sides since the violence erupted in 2023. 

Their failure to unequivocally condemn this attack on innocent Meitei civilians raises serious questions about their sincerity toward peace. Equally disturbing is the absence of any statement from Parliament on these recurring assaults, highlighting an urgent need for decisive national action to protect vulnerable communities and hold perpetrators accountable without bias.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaves no stone unturned when it comes to crafting photo-ops for peace in Manipur. Just four days ago, on December 14, 2025, the party's central leadership summoned its Manipur MLAs to Delhi, where—after over two years and seven months of Manipur violence—Meitei and Kuki-Zo legislators sat side by side for the first time since the violence erupted in May 2023. 

Chaired by national general secretary (Organisation) B.L. Santhosh and Northeast in-charge Sambit Patra, the meeting saw four of the seven Kuki-Zo BJP MLAs join their Meitei counterparts, posing together for photographs that were quickly touted as a symbol of reconciliation and unity. 

This "ice-breaking" exercise, as sources described it, was hailed by the party as a step toward restoring normalcy and potentially forming an inclusive government, with everyone resolving to "strive hard to bring back normalcy" amid buzz over ending President's Rule.

When BJP Central leaderships can orchestrate such a dramatic display of harmony behind closed doors in Delhi, summoning divided legislators and facilitating their joint appearance for the cameras, why do they relentlessly deny Congress MP Dr. Angomcha Bimol Akoijam—the lone opposition voice for IDPs from Manipur—a chance to speak in Parliament?

MP Bimol Akoijam represents the very same people these BJP MLAs claim to serve: the suffering citizens of Manipur, including the around 70,000 internally displaced persons  enduring unimaginable hardship. 

This is not just double standards; it's a calculated farce that exposes the BJP's peace efforts as superficial propaganda while they muzzle genuine accountability.

Earlier, during the December 9, 2025, Lok Sabha debate on Vande Mataram's 150th anniversary—a 10-hour ceremonial extravaganza— Bimol Akoijam seized the moment to indict the House's skewed priorities: "We have been demanding at least a three to five hour discussion on Manipur, but nobody cares." 

He contrasted the lavish time spent on symbolic patriotism with the neglect of more than 65,000 homeless citizens, unemployment, pollution, and the government's failure to enforce constitutional order. This speech, widely shared and praised, turned a BJP-led celebration into a profound moral challenge.

Invoking the Supreme Court's recognition of the Right to Housing as part of Article 21's Right to Life, he demanded why the government fails to rebuild shattered lives and homes.His interventions are masterpieces of eloquence and empathy. 

MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam, a former JNU professor, brings intellectual depth to his advocacy, dissecting governance failures and communal politics with precision. On social media, he exposes practical injustices, like exorbitant airfares exploiting displaced families—Imphal-Guwahati flights costing Rs 17,000-18,000, far exceeding longer routes—labeling it "daylight robbery" and decrying the lack of "rashtra chetna" for the Northeast.

Despite repeated rejections, MP Bimol presses on, raising questions on IDP welfare, security, and reconciliation. In a Parliament dominated by the BJP's majority, his unyielding persistence makes him a heroic figure—the solitary opposition MP from Manipur amplifying cries that the ruling party prefers to ignore.

The BJP's Delhi meeting, while symbolically significant, changes little on the ground—three Kuki MLAs skipped it, and demands for separate administration persist among some groups.The BJP's blame is undeniable: a regime of evasion masked as effort. While they summon MLAs to Delhi for unity spectacles—complete with photos tweeted by leaders like B.L. Santhosh proclaiming resolutions for normalcy—they stonewall Parliament on the same issue. 

Adjournment motions by MP Bimol Akoijam are dismissed routinely, as on December 16, amid a session where substantive debates on Manipur are adjourned or avoided. Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman dismisses opposition concerns as "crocodile tears," while the House prioritizes GST bills over humanitarian pleas. 

This selective engagement—closed-door party meetings yes, open parliamentary accountability no—reveals priorities: optics over outcomes. The BJP disrupts over trivialities but fears exposing failures in internal security, rehabilitation, and peace-building. 

Their Northeast policy treats Manipur as peripheral, despite grand claims. By silencing lone voice for IDPs in the Lok Sabha, they undermine democracy, eroding Parliament's oversight and deepening alienation.

However, Bimol Akoijam's lone stand illuminates this darkness, demanding we question: If the BJP can bridge divides for party unity, why not for national healing through debate? His efforts transcend politics, embodying true representation. Praise him as Manipur's unwavering guardian; condemn the BJP for their hypocritical silencing. Real peace requires transparency, not staged photos. 

On the last day of Winter session whfih will conclude tomorrow, let Bimol Akoijam's voice ring in Parliament—or admit the unity is just for show!