Kolkata: India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, remained silent for 78 days while Manipur kept burning. When he spoke, it was just for 39 seconds, and that too he compared brutality in the Northeast state with opposition-ruled states in India. There was no empathy for the women of Manipur in his speech. Now also, PM Modi is not going to Parliament and speaking inside the Loksabha. He is forced to speak as a no-confidence motion has been brought against the Modi-led government. All these have anguished concerned citizens of India across the country and in Kolkata as well.
“You (Mr Modi) have forgotten that the crowd that has made you prime minister, will take your chair away,” said Umar Owais, a resident of Rajabazar, in the inaugural speech of a protest jointly organized by Joint Forum against NRC and Citizens’ Forum For Social Justice.
While Owais set the tone and mood of the protest, all the speakers including Amitava Chakraborty, Himadri Mukherjee, Professor Albeena Shakil, Tamal Chakraborty, Nousheen Baba Khan, Manzar Jameel, and Pratip demanded PM Modi to act like a Prime Minister of the country.
They all pointed out the similarity between violence experienced during the Gujarat Riots in 2002 and what happened with Bilkis Bano. They claimed that same pattern was being followed in Manipur.
The speakers, who had also led several protests across Bengal against the NRC (National Register of Citizens), reminded that it is the idea of NRC that fueled the strife in Manipur.
“We have to hold this protest as when Manipur was burning PM Modi was visiting the United States of America. After returning, now, he is speaking outside the Parliament. Opposition parties are demanding that he should speak inside the Parliament, so he should go and speak there. There should be a code of law in Manipur. Biren Singh should be removed as chief minister, Prosenjit Bose, the convener of the Joint Forum against NRC told eNewsroom.
The drizzle during the event didn’t deter listeners. They remained seated to listen to the speakers despite the chances of a heavy downpour.
The programme was moderated by Jawed Alam, another local from Rajabazar.
