A PTI news item has reported that Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh has demanded immediate steps from the Centre to end the economic blockade faced by people of Manipur and work for their safety.

"It was highly deplorable to shut both the national highways to Manipur for last 17 days while opposing the entry of NSCN-IM leader T Muivah in Manipur", RSS General Secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi said in a statement here today.

About 25 lakh people in Manipur are hit by the closure of national highways. Prices of essential commodities including rice, pulses, floor, diesel, petrol and kerosenes are skyrocketing. Dimapur-Imphal NH 39 and Jiribam-Imphal NH 53 are closed since April 11, he said.

"I, therefore, urge the Centre and state to initiate immediate steps to reopen the closed national highways. Some years ago, the Centre intervened to reopen the Jammu-Srinagar national highways within 48 hours, Joshi recalled.

Earlier this week, in three hard hitting articles that appeared in Times of India and rediff.com, Tarun Vijay, who was part of the team which visited the turbulence hit Manipur, asks why the Government of Delhi has absolutely no concern for the Hindus of Manipur. Manipur is facing a blockade from terrorists and as a result prices of essential food commodities have sky-rocketed. Rice is being sold in black market at 250 Rs a kg and cooking oil is out of stock. There are also reports of a woman dying of starvation. Yet the Government and the Indian media are completely looking the other way.

Tarun Vijay writes that the hoary Radha Krishna traditions, the tribal richness and the Meitei culture of Manipur are facing extinction at the hands of insurgents supported by China, the Church and Islamic groups who have constantly tried to cutoff the North East from India.

Read the full articles here

Why should Manipur remain in India? in TOI http://blogs.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/indus-calling/entry/why-should-manipur-remain-in

Delhi Sleeps while Manipur burns in rediff.com: http://news.rediff.com/column/2010/may/17/delhi-sleeps-while-manipur-burns.htm