Drought-hit
CPI rally in Manipur demanding drought-hit status for state. Image: IFP

The demand to declare Manipur ‘drought-hit’ heightened in the state on Tuesday after the state cabinet urged the Union government for the same on last Saturday.

On Tuesday, the sate unit of the Communist Party of India (CPI) took out a mass rally in Imphal raising the demand for calling Manipur drought-hit.

A memorandum with a charter of demands was submitted to the state chief minister N Biren Singh.

The participants in the rally shouted various slogans, most of which were in support fo the farmers and their rights.

The protest rally was mostly peaceful and no untoward incident was reported.

However, the police did not allow the rally to go beyond a certain point of the city.

Addressing the media, Manipur CPI secretary L Sotinkumar urged the centre to declare the state drought-hit.

He also said that the centre must initiate steps to make water available to the farmers.

Demand to declare Manipur drought-hit comes at a time when several states from the Northeast is reeling under flood.

Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya have been badly hit by flood and landslide and it has claimed around 80 lives so far.