Raghav Chadha demands PM's statement on Manipur issue in Parliament

New Delhi: AAP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha on Monday demanded that Prime Minister Narendra Modi make a statement on the Manipur issue in Parliament, as the Centre is duty-bound to protect the states from internal disturbances or external aggression.

"The entire country wants the Centre and Prime Minister to resolve the Manipur crisis. Why is the state burning? Article 355 of our country's Constitution mandates the central government to protect the states from internal disturbances or external aggression.”

"It is the Centre's responsibility to ensure the safety and security of the states in case of an internal conflict or dispute between two communities and restore peace," he said.

Unfortunately, he said that the Centre has completely failed in implementing Article 355. The country's Constitution, under Article 356, clearly states that if the Governor informs the central government that the state is in turmoil and law and order has broken down, then the central government must immediately declare President's Rule in the state.

"Manipur Governor has repeatedly been pleading through newspapers, news channels, and videos that the state is burning, that thousands of people have been rendered homeless. He claims to have informed the Centre and the President about it, but still, the government has not implemented Article 356 and declared President's Rule in the strife-torn state," the AAP leader said.

He said that this has not been done because the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is in power in Manipur, both in the state and at the center.

The saffron party does not want a state where its governance slips out of its hands. Will the power play continue even while Manipur burns? "I want to clearly tell the central government that it has utterly failed in implementing Article 355 and Article 356 of India's Constitution," the AAP MP added.