PM Modi remains unreachable for Manipur BJP legislators seeking discussion

NT Correspondent

New Delhi: A recent letter sent by the Manipur unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the party's president, J.P. Nadda, has gained national attention.

The letter calls for Nadda's intervention to "revoke Article 355" in the violence-plagued northeastern state of Manipur and seeks clarification on whether such an article exists in the state.

Additionally, the letter requests the reinstatement of Chief Minister N. Biren Singh as the head of the Unified Command, citing public anger and protests directed at the BJP-led state government.

However, it's worth highlighting that the state BJP unit has also asked Nadda to "persuade" Prime Minister Narendra Modi to grant an audience to a joint team of MLAs who are currently in New Delhi, advocating for the welfare of the Manipur people.

This request for an appointment is significant because Modi has thus far refrained from directly addressing the fivemonth-long violence and ethnic unrest in Manipur, despite appeals from the affected residents.

Furthermore, he has not met with his party's legislators, both from the Opposition and the ruling party, who have been seeking appointments to discuss the crisis since it began on May 3.

The state unit’s letter, published in various news reports on September 30, was to seek Nadda’s intervention to ensure an appointment of the delegation with the prime minister.

A state unit office bearer told The Wire on Tuesday that the delegation failed to meet the prime minister.