60,000 displaced, homes burnt: Manipur MP slams Budget as ‘anti-people’

Outer Manipur MP Alfred Kangam Arthur on Tuesday lashed out at the Manipur Budget, calling it “anti-people” for failing to address the plight of nearly 60,000 people displaced by the ethnic violence in the state. Speaking in Parliament, the Congress MP expressed deep frustration, stating that despite massive devastation, the Budget offers no relief for those who have lost their homes and livelihoods.

“This Budget is anti-people. Sixty thousand people have been displaced. Their homes are broken, damaged, burnt. Yet, there is no reflection of their suffering in this Budget,” Arthur said.

According to him, the total damage caused by the unrest has already crossed Rs 20,000 crore, but the Budget makes no mention of compensation or rehabilitation for the affected communities.

Expressing his anguish, Arthur even offered to step down from his parliamentary seat, questioning the purpose of speaking out when his concerns were neither heard nor acted upon.

“I implore upon the conscience of this House once again. Give me the privilege to relinquish my seat and I will never come back here. Speaking again and again without being heard, without anything changing on the ground — do you know how painful it is to return home to an empty house? And now, you bring a Budget that does not address a single aspect of those affected,” he said.

Arthur also pointed out a serious constitutional lapse, stating that the Budget fails to separate allocations for the hill and valley regions — a division that is mandatory.

“We have already bypassed the Constitution. The hill-valley separation is mandatory. How will we know what funds are going to the hills and what is going to the valleys?” he questioned, warning that unequal asset creation would only deepen conflicts in the state.

He urged Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to reconsider the Budget and present a revised version with clear allocations for the hills and valleys, addressing the hardships people are enduring.

The Manipur MP also accused the Centre of withholding crucial funds meant for NREGA (National Rural Employment Guarantee Act) workers, who form the backbone of the state’s marginalised communities.

“The poor and marginalised in my constituency survive on NREGA. The material component dues for 2023-24 have not been released — 50 per cent remains unpaid. And for 2024-25, the amount is 0 per cent — nothing has been cleared for two years,” he alleged.

He further attacked the government for failing to clear payments for social assistance programmes, stating that the last instalment was made in March 2023.

“What is the point of these welfare schemes if the most marginalised are left to suffer? This Budget does not reflect any commitment to clearing those dues,” Arthur said.