Congress derides PM's silence on Manipur unrest after house of MoS torched

Congress on Friday slammed the Centre over the deteriorating law and order in violence-hit Manipur after a mob set Minister of State for External Affairs R.K. Ranjan Singh's house on fire in Imphal.

Taking a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not speaking up on the issue, the grand-old party said the PM is too busy preparing for his US visit.

In a tweet, Congress General secretary Jairam Ramesh said, "Here is a Union Minister from Manipur lamenting the prevailing situation in his state. But the PM is still silent, too busy preparing for his visit to the US while Manipur continues to burn."

His remarks came after Ranjan lamented the burning of his house and said that he was shocked as to how the law and order situation has deteriorated in Manipur.

The Union Minister's house at Kongba in Imphal was torched by a mob late on Thursday night.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Congress spokesperson Gourav Vallabh said, "Manipur is burning. People are getting killed but the Prime Minister is too busy to talk on the issue.

"On one hand Manipur is burning but the Prime Minister is silent. We demand that the government take immediate action over the law and situation in the north eastern state. A government which cannot handle the situation has no right to remain in power," Vallabh added.

The Union Minister's house was earlier targeted on May 25 when thousands of people attempted to assemble in front of the residence, but were prevented by security forces.

Police said the mob, which was demanding an early solution to the ethnic conflict, accused all the ministers and MLAs that they were not doing enough to end the crisis.

On Wednesday, in a fresh incident of violence, assailants burnt the official residence of Manipur's Industry Minister Nemcha Kipgen in the Lamphel area in Imphal West district.

Kipgen, the lone woman minister in the state, was not at home when the attackers burnt down her official bungalow.

At least 11 people were killed and 23 others injured after suspected militants attacked the Khamelock village in Imphal East district late on Tuesday night.

Officials said the death toll is likely to increase as several of the injured are said to be critical.

--IANS

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