'Women Raped, Naked, Paraded...': Kharge Demands PM Modi To Address Parliament On Manipur Violence

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Thursday slammed the Centre over the ethnic violence in Manipur and raised the question of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “silence” after a video of two women being paraded naked in the state surfaced online.

Speaking during the Monsoon session of Parliament, the Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha asked why Prime Minister not giving a statement on the issue in the House while he is addressing the media on the matter outside.

“Manipur is burning. Women are raped, naked, paraded and the PM is keeping quiet and is giving statements outside,” Kharge said.

The Monsoon session of Parliament began on a stormy note on Thursday, with treasury benches and the Opposition having a face-off on ethnic violence in Manipur. While the government has agreed to have a discussion on Manipur violence, the principal opposition Congress remained adamant about its demand for a statement by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the issue in Parliament.

In his customary interaction with the media in the Parliament complex ahead of the session on Thursday, the prime minister said the incident of women being paraded naked in Manipur has shamed 140 crore Indians and asserted that the law will act with its full might and no guilty will be spared.

Earlier today, the Congress chief attacked the Prime Minister saying he has time to campaign for elections in Manipur but has forgotten the northeastern state.

Talking to the media at his residence in Delhi, Kharge said, “The Prime Minister is silent and he has visited several countries including France, Egypt and othets. He is silent on Manipur, he could have called a meeting on Manipur but he seems he has forgotten it.”

Highlighting the plight of the people of the state, the Congress leader said that people are being robbed, women are being gang-raped but Modiji cannot remember Manipur.

“He has time for calling meeting of 38 parties. He could have gone to Manipur as he has adequate security arrangements, whereas Rahul Gandhi has gone without any such facilities.

“He (Modi) is roaming for election campaigning for last 80 days. Do campaigning but he is ignoring the Manipur. He should have sorted out the issue but he is not interested in that and he wants such situation to prevail,” the Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha said.

When asked if the Congress will demand to send an all party delegation to Manipur, he said, “We (Congress delegation) have gone and came back. Before Opposition parties, the Prime Minister should visit Manipur. We want to have a discussion on Manipur in Parliament and then a delegation of Opposition should be sent.”

(With IANS inputs)