Deputy leader of the Congress in Lok Sabha, Gaurav Gogoi, articulated concerns about the ongoing unrest in Manipur, asserting that peace remains elusive as long as 6,000 high-end arms and 6 lakh rounds of ammunition, pilfered from security personnel, aren’t retrieved. Addressing the media, he highlighted that these weapons could be deployed against the very citizens of Manipur, which has been embroiled in violence since May 3.
Drawing attention to the broader political climate, Gogoi expressed scepticism regarding potential peace, especially in the absence of genuine reconciliation endeavours between the conflicting parties. The Lok Sabha MP from Kaliabor voiced widespread dissatisfaction among both the Meiteis and Kukis regarding the governance of Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
Gogoi further critiqued Home Minister Amit Shah’s endorsement of the chief minister in Parliament, suggesting that Singh’s presence in the peace committees has been counterproductive to achieving tranquillity.
Taking aim at the national leadership, Gogoi opined that Prime Minister Narendra Modi painted a misleading picture of peace from the Red Fort. He emphasised that genuine peace is contingent upon reconciling and rehabilitating the 60,000 displaced individuals residing in relief camps, along with the crucial recovery of the aforementioned arms.
Gogoi further lambasted Modi for allegedly sidestepping corruption-related dialogues, specifically alluding to alleged irregularities within the BJP government in Karnataka and perceived deficiencies in the Ayushman Bharat scheme, as detailed in a recent CAG report.
Shifting his focus to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Gogoi conveyed optimism, asserting the INDIA coalition’s objective of national unification.
He also commented on the recent renaming of the Nehru Memorial Museum in Delhi, interpreting it as the BJP’s continual disdain for the Nehru-Gandhi lineage. Drawing a distinction between the two major parties, Gogoi claimed that while the prime minister associates with industrial magnates like Ambani and Adani, Rahul Gandhi remains accessible even to a humble vegetable vendor.
It was officially announced that the Nehru Memorial Museum and Library has been rebranded as the Prime Ministers’ Museum and Library Society from August 14, as confirmed by the PMML executive council’s vice chairman.
