An exclusive survey conducted by CVoter reveals that more than three in four Indians are aware of the violence that has engulfed Manipur since May this year.
More significantly, a huge majority wants Prime Minister Narendra Modi to personally intervene in the matter. To the question: should Prime Minister Modi personally intervene to stop the violence in Manipur, overall 80 per cent of the respondents answered in the affirmative.
There was no significant difference of opinion on the issue between NDA and opposition supporters. Opposition leaders have accused the Prime Minister of ignoring the Manipur violence and staying over it for more than two months.
Even more significantly, a big majority wants the chief minister of Manipur, N. Biren Singh to resign from his post. Close to 60 per cent of the respondents in the CVoter survey are of the opinion that Biren Singh must resign immediately.
Less than one fourth want him to continue as the Chief Minister. Close to half of NDA supporters want Biren Singh to resign while only a third want him to stay. Among respondents, who support opposition parties, more than two thirds want him to resign immediately.
The northeastern state has been gripped by uncontrolled violence since May 3, 2023. There were protests by members belonging to the Kuki tribe when the Manipur High Court ordered that the indigenous Meitei tribe be given the Scheduled Tribe status.
The Supreme Court stayed the order and reprimanded the Chief Justice of the Manipur High Court. The protests by members of the Kuki community soon spiralled into horrific violence as militant sections of both communities launched attacks on each other, attacked police posts and armouries and looted weapons.
Worse, women have been brutally assaulted and gang-raped, leading to nationwide outrage and anger. The Supreme Court has taken suo moto cognizance of the sexual assault cases. The monsoon session of Parliament has been disrupted over the issue. More than 115 people have lost their lives so far in the Manipur violence.
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