Amid the ongoing logjam in both Houses of the Parliament over the Manipur issue, Union Minister and senior BJP leader Nirmala Sitharaman today criticized the opposition saying that it does not want to participate in the discussion on the Manipur issue. She said this while addressing media outside parliament along with Union Information and Broadcasting Minister Anurag Singh Thakur and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Prahlad Joshi. Ms Sitharaman alleged that Congress party did nothing for the State when it was in power and Manipur faced a blockade for around one year and nobody visited the state. She said, Union Home Minister Amit Shah himself had recently visited  Manipur and stayed for a few days to assess the situation. She alleged that Manipur is just a political issue for the opposition.
   
Meanwhile, Congress has reiterated its demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's statement in Parliament over Manipur violence. Talking to reporters outside Parliament, party leader Randeep Surjewala alleged that 68 MPs had given notices for a discussion in the Rajya Sabha on Manipur but the government is running away from it. He alleged that the government wants only a short discussion on the matter and does not want opposition to speak at length.