'PM, At Least Open Your Mouth...': Manipur MP's Powerful Speech In Parliament Creates Ripples

It is amazing to see that I get an opportunity as a midnight hour approaches to resist this anguish and this hurt of the denial that this country has met it out to its own citizens in the state of Manipur. Your step doesn't matter in this country. You are also saying that the likes of Ratan Tiyam, the icon of the culture of this country, Hanivan, Sham Salma, don't matter in this country. If you have an iota of concern for this state, there would not have been a silence. There would not have been a silence in this House nor in the presidential address five years after independence. Can you negate this fact? We are talking about the inclusion of the Northeast history after 75 years. There's a classic exclusion, the hurt, the anger has thrown a nobody like me to be part of this temple of democracy. If you hear an anxiety and using a pain in my voice, please go back and see those 60,000 people linguishing in the relief camp. Don't talk about partition remembrance. Tell you being that I would keep guide the moment the Prime Minister opened his mouth and the Nationalist Party says that Manipur is part of India and we care for the people of that state. Only then I will accept what is nationalism in our face on a troublesome moment in the history of India that has never happened called the tragedy of Manipur which is sought to be silenced by the government. And it is an irony that such an important matter which is sought to be silenced gets an opportunity as the midnight hour approaches. And this reminds me of the fact that people in my home state, the time is 2 hours ahead of Delhi and we have been dancing on the tune of Delhi and the time that is supposed to be approaching 12 at the moment. People like Janu Barua and others have demanded for years that NE should have a separate time zone. Only then you will be able to leave with dignity and a sense of well-being. The kind of priority that I can sense is this moment that I get a chance to speak. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I'm just trying to. Mr. Chairman, I'm drawing your attention to the absence of Manipur in the President's address. This is not a simple absence. It is a reminder of a Rasta Chetna which excludes people. You must realise that more than 60 thousands people are linguist in relief came in a wretched conditions for the last one year. If anybody is rate partition of the subcontinent, which I have done, I was associated with the research project. We have interviewed more than 1500 survivors or partition of 1947 and you are witnessing the same thing. People are living in a wretched conditions that I cannot even mention here. 60,000 people homeless is not a joke. 200 plus people died and there has been a civil war like situations where people are armed to the teeth and roaming around and fighting each other defending their villages. And the Indian state is a mute spectator to this tragedy for one year. I must remind this House that each and every square centimeter of Manipur is covered by a central armed forces. It is one of the most militarized areas in this country where you have more armed policemen than the civil police besides the armed forces of the Union. Despite this, how is that 60,000 people were rendered homeless and villages in thousands were destroyed and yet our Prime Minister remain mute? Not even a word and the presidential address did not even mention that. It is amazing to see that I get an opportunity as a midnight hour approaches to resist this anguish and this heart of the denial that this country has met it out to its own citizens in the state of Manipur. I must ask this questions to the house. Is this silence communicating to the people of the North East and Manipuri in particular that you don't matter in the Indian states scheme of things? Major Laisham Jatin who was awarded Ashok chakra while grappling with suicide bomber was a Manipuri who was awarded Ashok Chakra. You are dishonouring his own state, Meza Nangum Joy Dutta, who was awarded V Chakra while fighting for this country and doing his duty as a part of the peacekeeping force in Sri Lanka in 1987. You are dishonouring this man. You are dishonouring the likes of the youths who hold the tricolor in international platforms, the likes of Mary Kom, Sarita Kunjarani and Mirabai Chanu. You are saying that you don't matter in this country. Your state doesn't matter in this country. You are also saying that the likes of Ratan Tiyam, the icon of the culture of this country, or even Sham Sharma don't matter in this country. If you have an iota of concern for this state, there would not have been a silence. There would not have been a silence in this House nor in the presidential address. This must be registered. Please raise your point of order. If you wanted to doubt the nationality and the nationalism of the people of that state, you must realize that these people have fought for the country. These people have brought Lurell to this country. Please remember this is what the silence and I am telling you this. Mary Konko Hamne Member of Parliament, maraya Bharti janta party the member of Parliament maraya Manipur ko Manipur ka Sports university dia or afsa Jo hai Maya kaisa ajmi ho mere Mama ko Manipur main goli lagi OCRPFKDIG de inko sahid Pala afsa Manipur Malaga 5 years after independence. Can you negate this fact? We are talking about the inclusion of the Northeast history After 75 years. There's a classic exclusion. India was an anthropological subject, not a historical subject in the eyes of the colonial forces. And today the Northeast remains outside of the history of the Indian history textbook. That is why you treat them as the other. And that's the silence. And the silence on the Manipur tragedy is not unique. It is a reflection of this general continuity of the colonial in the post colonial. It is sad to see a nationalist party like the BJP will feel comfortable with the silence on the tragedy of Manipur. Keep your hands on your heart and think about the 60,000 people who are interested in relief camps and those mothers, those widows, think of them and then you talk about nationalism. Only then we will understand what this tragedy means. And Mr. Chairman, the hurt, the anger has thrown and nobody like me to be part of this temple of democracy beating the BJP cabinet minister, think about the pain. If you hear an anxiety, anguish and a pain in my voice, please go back and see those things. 60,000 people linguishing in the relief camp, don't talk about partition remembrance. Tell you being that I would keep quiet the moment the Prime Minister opened his mouth and the Nationalist party says that Manipur is part of India and we care for the people of that state. Only then I will accept what is nationalism in our face from breaking news, detailed analysis, in depth interviews and explain us. Follow The Times of India, subscribe to our YouTube channel, don't forget to like our videos and hit the bell icon to stay updated with the latest.