Imphal, August 31 2010: BJP raised the issue of re-imposition of blockade on both the highways linking Manipur with the rest of the country during zero hour in the Rajya Sabha today.

BJP's National Spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Tarun Vijay, raising the issue, said that the government must take urgent action to restore peace and normalcy as people in Manipur have begun to lose faith in the efficacy of the Indian state.

MP Vijay said that United Naga Council (UNC), Manipur, supported by anti national NSCN (IM), has given a call for a 25 day blockade on both national highways cutting Manipur from the rest of the country, BJP Manipur unit's media affairs secretary, L Bashanta Sharma reported from New Delhi.

Before the extended 25 day economic blockade, Manipur had witnessed 68 days' blockade paralyzing the entire state.

The prices of essential commodities have sky rocketed.

Cooking gas is sold at Rs 1200 per cylinder at present and petrol/diesel in black market is available at Rs 100 plus per litre.

Eight trucks had been burnt on the National Highways connecting the state with Nagaland and Assam.

Non Manipuris had been threatened by local insurgent groups to leave Manipur, MP Tarun Vijay reportedly told the Rajya Sabha.

The irony is that long spells of bandh and blockade of roads had seriously affected the academic institutions in Manipur.

For six months continuously, all schools and colleges in Manipur remained closed under threat, jeopardising career of about five lakh students, and neither the state government nor the central government could provide protection to schools which wanted to open and carry on their regular classes, the report said.

This has resulted in an exodus of students from Manipur, whose parents sold their properties or took loans to send their children for studies to other states in the country.

The MP also mentioned that thousands of state government employees had not been given salaries for the last six months as the state government said that it doesn't have money in its treasury.

This is an unbelievable condition, worse than Kashmir.

The government must act immediately.

People of Manipur have been asking a question if the rulers in Delhi think that Manipur really belongs to India, why it has not taken any action to help the people live a live free of torture and distress, MP Tarun Vijay is reported to have told the Rajya Sabha.

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