Imphal: “Manipur is not normal,” said Lok Sabha Congress MP for Inner Manipur, Dr. Akoijam Bimol, on Sunday, as he delivered a scathing critique of the central government’s handling of both the prolonged ethnic conflict and the environmental degradation in the state.
President Rule has been imposed in Manipur amid the about two years long crisis. People still not experience normalcy in the state.
“Normalcy will return only when the displaced families are resettled at their homes and people could move freely and safely throughout the state. If not, the issue is still alive,” said the Manipur representative.
The Congress MP made his comment to reporters here.
He took sharp aim at the Centre’s disarmament policy, accusing it of being visibly biased and community-specific, and lacking transparency or impartiality.
Addressing allegations that the Supreme Court is responsible for inciting religious conflict, Bimol said, “I have only one comment to make the constitutional mechanism that has been attacked left and right by this BJP-led government. I said this on the floor of the House. They have tried to tweak the Constitution everywhere. Attacking the judiciary is one of the most unfortunate parts.”
“Never think it is going to be a one-party rule. We are a parliamentary democracy with the separation of powers among the judiciary, legislature, and executive. You can’t just attack institutions. It’s an assault on the constitutional scheme. For them (BJP leaders), it’s part of their political ethos.”
The MP condemned the secrecy surrounding the Suspension of Operations agreements with armed groups. He questioned why the matter had not been allowed to be tabled in Parliament with National Security cited as a pretext.
He highlighted the exclusion of all three Manipur MPs from discussions surrounding the imposition of President’s Rule in the state. “It’s not just strange it’s outrageous. It speaks volumes about how the voices of this region are being erased from the national discourse.”
He reserved strong criticism for Union Home Minister Amit Shah, accusing him of trivializing the ongoing conflict by labelling it as an Inherent Societal problem.
“If that’s the case, why has the Government of India failed to protect the lives and liberties of its citizens in Manipur?”
Bimol also raised alarm over the ecological vulnerability of Manipur’s wetlands, particularly Loktak Lake and Lamphelpat. Despite their environmental and cultural importance, he pointed out that neither has been notified under the Wetlands (Conservation and Management) Rules, 2017.
“So, officially, there is no wetland in Manipur,” Bimol remarked, revealing that not a single water body in the state has been granted legal protection under the central government’s own environmental policies.
He warned that without legal or institutional safeguards, these ecosystems are being systematically degraded often in the name of development and tourism.
He cited the ongoing Lamphelpat Rejuvenation Project in Imphal West as an example of Cosmetic development that could destroy the natural ecology and “It will turn a lake into a pond.”
Bimol said Loktak Lake, which is the navel of Manipur, deeply ties to the state’s civilizational identity. “Without urgent action, it could die and be reduced to a mere pond.”
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