Manipur MP says question to Home Ministry on pacts with insurgent groups in Northeast ‘removed’

A recent photo of A. Bimol Akoijam, MP from Manipur, speaking in a discussion in Ernakulam, Kerala. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu

Congress MP from Manipur A. Bimol Akoijam has said that a question he had sent in for Lok Sabha on the Union government’s pacts with insurgent and armed groups in Northeastern States had been “removed” from the list of Starred Questions for March 11, saying this was a “serious infringement” on his rights and privileges as an MP and undermined his “constitutionally mandated duty and responsibility”.

Mr. Akoijam posted about this on social media platform X late on Wednesday (March 12, 2025) night, saying he had met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and Union Minister of Parliamentary Affairs Kiren Rijiju over this “unusual episode”.

He said that Mr. Birla, as the custodian of Parliament, had taken note of the issue and assured him that his office will “do the necessary next week”. The question that the Manipur MP said had been “removed” was directed towards Union Minister of Home Affairs Amit Shah.

Mr. Akoijam wanted to know how many agreements had been signed with insurgent/armed groups in the Northeast, details of the agreements and extensions, pecuniary benefits given to members of these groups and the groups themselves, efforts to rehabilitate the groups, and the progress made towards disarming and bringing youth into normal lives.

He said, “The questions seek to elicit information, which are crucial to understand long-standing issues in India’s Northeast, the relevant State policies, and their impacts/consequences. Incidentally, the answers would have also enabled us to clarify the present status of the Suspension of Operation Agreement (SoO) with the Kuki armed groups, which are allegedly involved in the ongoing crisis in Manipur.”

Mr. Akoijam said his name was listed at 16 in the ballot for Starred Questions scheduled for March 11. “However, when the list of the Starred Questions for the said seating date was released, my name was found missing. In short, my questions were removed,” he said, adding that to the best of his knowledge, the questions did not fall under “any of the rules or concerns on the admissibility of questions”.

Mr. Akoijam said he had also written a letter to the Secretary-General on March 6 seeking a clarification but received no response from his office. He added that he had raised this during Zero Hour on March 12 and later on during his meeting with Speaker Om Birla.