Nation facing gravest crisis, says P Chidambaram as Oppn delegation lands in Manipur

New Delhi: As the delegation from the Opposition alliance landed in Manipur to get a sense of the "actual situation on the ground" in the violence-hit state, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Saturday said all Opposition parties were of the opinion that the country is facing a "gravest crisis" today.
"Manipur's situation is the GRAVEST crisis facing the country today, believe the Opposition parties. Unemployment is the BIGGEST problem, say 36 per cent of the youth who were surveyed. Inflation is the HARDEST challenge in providing for families, say homemakers," tweeted Chidambaram on Saturday. In a series of long tweets, the former Union minister lashed out at the BJP-led central government over unemployment, inflation and other issues.
Stating that the first task of the I.N.D.I.A, alliance is to unite all the Opposition parties, the Congress veteran said the "agenda of the hate is the prime cause of the division in society".
"The agenda of hate is the PRIME cause of the divisions in society, says the CONGRESS. Uniting the Opposition parties is the FIRST task, says the INDIA Alliance. Abuse of human rights of women, children, minorities and scheduled tribes is the DARKEST chapter of the India story, says the World," the former Union Finance minister wrote on his official twitter handle.
Chidambaram alleged in another tweet that the "most ardent desire" of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance is "win" the Lok Sabha elections in 2024.
"Winning the elections in 2024 is its MOST ardent desire, says the BJP-NDA," he tweeted.
Meanwhie, after setting foot to the Northeast state on Saturday, the Opposition leaders said the purpose of their visit was to "represent the demands of the people".
Speaking to ANI after arriving at Imphal airport, Congress MP Gaurav Gogoi, who had earlier filed a motion of confidence against the Centre in the Lok Sabha, over the Manipur situation, said, "We want the people to be heard. We are going to convey their demand in Parliament. We have come to represent the people of Manipur and their concerns."
Fellow Congress MP from the Lower House, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, told ANI, "We will put forward several demands to the Manipur Governor. However, we want to conduct a public survey and also hold discussions among ourselves before taking any call (on the demands)."
Welcoming the delegation, former Manipur CM and Congress leader, Okram Ibobi Singh, said they will hold discussions on the demand for the resigantion of his successor, N Biren Singh, for failing to rein in the violence in the state.
"We are extremely happy that this delegation of Opposition leaders has reached Manipur. They should visit the relief camps and meet people, who have been away from their homes for almost 3 months now. They should inform the (central) government about the situation on the ground so that normalcy could be restored at the earliest. We will also discuss the demand for resignation of the Manipur CM."
As per the itinerary, from the Imphal airport, the delegation will head towards the Churachandpur district, which has been epicentre of the ethnic clashes that erupted on May 3.
Earlier, on Saturday, Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey urged the visiting I.N.D.I.A leaders to contribute to the restoration of peace and order to the violence-hit Northeast.
She also called on all parties and stakeholders help put the state back on track.
The 21-member Opposition delegation, from both Houses, includes Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi, K Suresh and Phulo Devi Netam of the Congress; Rajiv Ranjan Lalan Singh of the JDU; Sushmita Dev from Trinamool Congress; Kanimozhi from DMK; Sandosh Kumar of the CPI; AA Rahim from CPI(M), Manoj Kumar Jha of RJD; Javed Ali Khan of SP; Mahua Maji of JMM; PP Mohammed Faizal of NCP; Aneel Prasad Hegde of JDU, ET Mohammed Basheer of IUML; NK Premachandran of RSP; Sushil Gupta of AAP; Arvind Sawant of Shiv Sena (UBT); D Ravikumar of VCK; Thiru Thol Thirumavalavan also of VCK; and Jayant Singh of the RLD. (ANI)