CPI leader D. Raja questions Prime Minister on not visiting strife-torn Manipur

PM Modi has not visited strife-torn Manipur despite violence since May & not spoken much on the issue. On Gandhi Jayanti, Raja urges PM to reflect on his inaction & address the issue. BJP & RSS policies blamed for violence. INDIA alliance formed to defeat BJP in LS polls. Talks on seat sharing between Congress & Left for Telangana & MP elections.

Blaming the Bharatiya Janata Party for the ongoing violence in Manipur, general secretary of Communist Party of India D. Raja on Monday said it was high time that Prime Minister Narendra Modi reflected on whether it was right on his part not to visit the strife-torn hill State.

“Today (Monday) is Gandhi Jayanti. Gandhiji stood for peace and unity among all religions and caste. Violence broke out in the hill State in May and the Prime Minister has not found time to visit the troubled State so far. He is visiting all other places except Manipur. At least on Gandhi Jayanti the Prime Minister should ponder whether it was right on his part not to visit the State for so long,” he said addressing a press conference here.

The Prime Minister has not spoken much about the violence, except on the days after a video pertaining to gang rape of a woman surfaced on the social media. He should explain why he has not visited Manipur, Mr. Raja said.

The CPI leader said it is only appropriate on the part of the Prime Minister to carry forward Gandhian thoughts about cleanliness. “But it is also equally important to develop cleanliness in the minds of people. In the last nine years, the BJP has sowed seeds of hatred and social disharmony. The violence in Manipur is a result of the policies followed by the BJP and the RSS. The INDIA alliance was formed with the sole objective of defeating the BJP in the next Lok Sabha elections,” the CPI general secretary said.

When he was asked about the inability of the INDIA bloc to project a leader among the alliance as the Prime Minister candidate, he said, “The PM face is not an issue. It will be decided collectively after the elections.”

The Opposition parties, he said will have to make adjustments to put up a united face in the Parliamentary elections.

As far the upcoming elections to five State Assemblies are concerned, he said formal and informal talks have begun on seat sharing between parties, especially Congress and Left, for elections to Telangana and Madhya Pradesh.