Mokokchung, 15 July (MTNews): All India Congress Committee (AICC) President Mallikarjun Kharge on Saturday convened a crucial meeting with party leaders from six northeastern states to strategize for the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The meeting also provided an opportunity for leaders from Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, and Sikkim to express their concerns regarding the deteriorating situation in Manipur, according to party sources. Mizoram leaders were not called because they had earlier met on 6 July.
The Congress leaders present at the meeting, held at the AICC headquarters, included KC Venugopal, MP & General Secretary (Organization) of the Congress; Ajoy Kumar, the AICC in-charge of Sikkim, Tripura, and Nagaland; and former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi did not attend the 4-hour long meeting because of his ill-health, Venugopal said after the meeting. “The Congress President has given a clear direction to the leaders of North-Eastern states on how to fight the election…how to move forward… how to organise the party at a bigger level,” he added. He also said that the meeting discussed the situation in Manipur and that the party leaders from that state briefed the house about the situation in Manipur.
Manipur has been grappling with violent clashes, particularly between the Kuki and Meitei communities since early May. “We took a silent prayer. We also condoled the death and observed silence for all of those nearly 150 innocent people, who died in this manufactured violence,” Venugopal said. He also said that the entire Congress party stands in solidarity with the people of Manipur.
Congress president Kharge has been actively engaged in holding key strategy meetings with leaders from various states, including those scheduled to go to polls later this year. Previously, he had separate meetings with leaders from Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan, and Uttarakhand, focusing on devising effective election strategies.
These deliberations underscore the Congress Party’s commitment to re-strengthening its presence in the northeast and formulating a comprehensive electoral plan for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls in 2024.
On Manipur Crisis
The Congress party also criticized the inaction and silence of the Prime Minister and the BJP government on the situation in Manipur, terming it as “unexplainable, unforgivable and criminal.”
“The Union government should take strong and all necessary steps with sincerity for maintaining peace and harmony in the state. We demand immediate ceasefire and restoration of peace,” Venugopal said.
The Congress Party leaders present in this meeting also congratulated and expressed gratitude to Rahul Gandhi for his visit and “spreading the message of love, compassion and peace in Manipur in these times of turmoil.” The party also condoled the death and observed silence for all those nearly 150 innocent people, “who died in this manufactured violence.”
“Already 70 days are over, but still our Prime Minister is in a silent mode. We don’t know what is stopping the Prime Minister from giving at least a peace call for the people of Manipur… at least the BJP has to explain why the Prime Minister is silent on these things…” Venugopal added.
“Certainly, the entire North-East leadership wants to raise this issue in Parliament. Today evening, we have a Parliamentary Strategy Committee meeting. Definitely, we will discuss that issue in the Strategy Committee meeting,” the Congress leader disclosed.
On the implementation of UCC
On being asked if there was any discussion on UCC in the meeting, Venugopal said, “Certainly, North-Eastern people have a serious concern because you know the plurality of the North-Eastern states.” He admitted that the majority of the NE states have a huge tribal population, their own customs and their own religious rituals. “North-Eastern states have their own concerns about UCC… they shared that,” Venugopal said without divulging further details.