In a charged speech in the Lok Sabha, Bimol Akoijam exposes the anarchy prevailing in Manipur. He condemns the government’s handling of the crisis, drawing stark comparisons to historical injustices and demanding urgent action.
BY PC bureau
Addressing the Lok Sabha during the Motion of Thanks on the President’s Address, Inner Manipur MP Angomcha Bimol Akoijam delivered a powerful critique of the Union and state governments. His speech drew parallels between the government’s handling of the current crisis and the historical “humiliation” Manipur endured during its annexation.
Expressing his dismay at the omission of the Manipur crisis in the President’s Address, Akoijam remarked, “I was expecting the President’s Address to include something on Manipur, very honestly speaking, because I thought that the government will outline through her speech on the steps being taken by the Government of India to deal with the issue and this tragedy we have been witnessing in my home state. But call it arrogance or a reflection of a peculiar form of ‘rashtra chetna’ followed by the ruling party, they have chosen to remain silent in an effort to make the crisis invisible to the rest of the country as well as the globe.”
“If you want to understand this country and how it is being imagined, how the constitution has been functioning, and how it is being lied to by the rest of the country, take Manipur as an exceptional case. The exception will explain the general and the exception itself. The… pic.twitter.com/6QnOISH9ij
— suburban_hysteria (@LongjamVivek) February 3, 2025
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He criticized the ruling BJP for undermining constitutional principles and for a governance approach that he described as excluding various segments of society. “Under the Constitution we have a state government and assembly which has been reduced to a farce. We had the shortest assembly session in 2023 in August, which barely lasted less than half an hour. Instead of discussing the crisis, the assembly was cut short. The government of Manipur openly claims that its powers have been stripped by the Union government. We don’t know who is in charge of the state of Manipur. The leaders of the government in the state say that the police did not report to the Honourable CM and the Home Minister… The Chief Minister says some part of Manipur is under my command and some part is under the Union Home Monster. Can you imagine the Chief Minister of Maharashtra saying that Mumbai is under my control and the rest of Maharashtra is under the union government?”
On the summoning of elected Meitei representatives by the armed group Arambai Tenggol in January 2024 in Imphal, during which some MLAs were reportedly assaulted, Akoijam described the situation as emblematic of a “banana republic.”
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“Have you ever seen elected representatives being beaten up publicly in this country? And the country thinks that constitutional order is in place in Manipur… When the Constitution was adopted 75 years ago, we had a Constitution of our own. And the constitutional monarchy which was bulldozed on 15th August 1949, that insult should have been let the bygone be the bygone and we should be looking forward,” he said.
He further lamented that the mishandling of the crisis reignited historical wounds. “But this manner in which the crisis has been handled and the contemptuous manner in which this has not been talked about, even in our Honourable President’s speech, is making you remember that humiliation once more as we are trying to look forward. This is the most saddening and unfortunate part as we celebrate the Constitution’s 75th year.”
Akoijam also raised concerns over the disappearance of Laishram Kamalbabu, a Meitei man who vanished from the Leimakhong military garrison in November 2024. He questioned the security measures in place, stating, “How secure are the people of Manipur, even when you are not secure in a military garrison, the biggest army headquarters in the state of Manipur?”
