“They never spoke up when Manipur burned under previous govts”: Anurag Thakur lambasts Opposition delegation

Kolkata: Union Minister Anurag Thakur launched a scathing attack on the newly formed I.N.D.I.A bloc as a delegation of Opposition leaders prepared to visit Manipur for a two-day fact-finding mission. Thakur accused the alliance of staying silent during Manipur’s tumultuous period under their rule.

Addressing the media in West Bengal after his arrival on Saturday, the BJP leader dismissed the delegation’s visit as mere window dressing. He asserted,”This visit is just an eyewash. The Opposition alliance never spoke up when Manipur burned under previous governments.”

Thakur singled out Congress Lok Sabha MP Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, a member of the 21-strong delegation heading to Manipur, and questioned whether he would be willing to take his fellow Opposition leaders to West Bengal. He reminded them of the widespread violence and bloodshed that occurred after the panchayat elections earlier that month.

‘Once they return fromManipur, I will request Aadhir Ranjan Chowdhury to bring them to West Bengal as well. I want to ask him if he supports the atrocities on women in West Bengal,” The Union Minister added.

Notably, the delegation comprises not only Congress leaders but also Parliamentarians from the Trinamool Congress, the ruling party in West Bengal, which has faced allegations of violence against women during and after the panchayat polls.

Thakur also directed criticism at Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot regarding recent crimes against women in the Congress-ruled state. He questioned whether the I.N.D.I.A alliance planned to visit Rajasthan, which has been witnessing regular incidents of violence and crimes against women.

The 21-member delegation from the grand Opposition alliance, I.N.D.I.A, is scheduled to land at Imphal airport later on Saturday. The visit is purportedly aimed at gaining insights into the situation on the ground in the Northeast state, which has been grappling with ethnic violence triggered by a Manipur High Court order to consider adding the Meitei community to the list of Scheduled Tribes.