Motion on Manipur Passed in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, "It is a matter of shame that the PM can go on foreign trips, but can't go to Manipur", says Mamata

The West Bengal Assembly on Monday passed a motion condemning the conflict and unrest in Manipur. Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, the State Parliamentary Affairs Minister presented the tabled motion before the house, during the second half of the session. "The violent clashes that have been taking place in Manipur for the last three months have severely affected not only the image of the state of Manipur but also of the whole nation," he read out.

In her speech, West Bengal CM, Mamata Banerjee sharpened her attack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Union government for their handling of the violence hit state. She condemned the PM for his apathy towards Manipur and urged him to issue a public statement pertaining to the same. It has been 90 days since violence first broke out in Manipur; the PM is yet to break his silence. The motion passed today vehemently condemns the barbaric acts of terror being inflicted upon the people of Manipur.

“The prime minister should make a statement on Manipur. It is a matter of shame that the PM can go on foreign trips, but can't go to Manipur. If the prime minister is unable to restore peace in Manipur, then let us be allowed to restore peace. “said Banerjee, expressing her wish to visit the violence hit state of Manipur to help restore peace, along with the members of the newly formed Opposition alliance ‘INDIA’.

Suvendu Adhikari, West Bengal Leader of Opposition BJP, called the resolution illegal and suggested that he would move to the Supreme Court against it. Furthermore, he argued that this resolution goes against the principles of a federal structure. "I staged a strong protest inside the house also and will protest outside too. This is a sub-judice matter and it is in the Supreme Court. TMC have done illegal work. Our voting right has been taken away", he said.

The BJP MLAs staged a walkout from the Assembly floor during the first half as their demand to adjourn the motion and discussion on rising cases of Dengue in the state of West Bengal was not tabled by the speaker. During the second half, they walked out for the second time, following Mamata Banerjee’s speech centering on the Manipur mayhem.

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