Writing is on wall but is HM Shah reading it: Congress’s dig over MLAs ‘skipping’ NDA meet in Manipur

Tue Nov 19 07:34:58 UTC 2024: ## Congress Accuses BJP of Losing Grip on Manipur as NDA Meeting Shows Low Attendance

**New Delhi, November 19, 2024** – The Indian National Congress today criticized the BJP-led NDA government’s handling of the ongoing crisis in Manipur, highlighting the low attendance at a recent meeting called by Chief Minister N Biren Singh. Only 26 out of 60 Manipur MLAs attended the Monday night meeting, with the Congress noting that four of those present belonged to the Nationalist People’s Party (NPP), which has already withdrawn its support for the Chief Minister.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that the low turnout demonstrates the BJP’s weakening hold on power in the state. He questioned Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s awareness of the situation, asking, “Is the grand sutradhar of Manipur… reading the writing on the wall?” Ramesh also reiterated the Congress’s demand for the resignation of both Shah and Chief Minister Singh, citing the continued violence and the Prime Minister’s failure to visit the state since the crisis began in May 2023.

The low attendance follows recent violence in Manipur, including attacks on the offices of both the Congress and BJP, and the torching of residences belonging to several MLAs. Security forces thwarted an attempt to attack the Chief Minister’s ancestral home. Over 220 people have died and thousands displaced in the ongoing ethnic conflict between the Meitei and Kuki-Zo communities. The Congress has repeatedly called for Prime Minister Modi to visit Manipur and address the crisis before the upcoming Parliament session.