INDIA bloc parties from Manipur urge PM Modi to visit state for restoration of peace
New Delhi (PTI): INDIA bloc parties from Manipur on Friday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the violence-hit state at the earliest, asserting that his direct involvement and pro-active engagement with the people of Manipur can only bring peace and normalcy there.
A delegation of leaders from 10 political parties, representing the INDIA bloc, held a press conference here and claimed that they were denied permission to hold a sit-in at Jantar Mantar.
"We were supposed to hold a sit-in protest at Jantar Mantar, but the authorities declined our permission request. We have around 10 political parties participating. It's unfortunate that we're being denied our right to protest. However, this setback won't deter us; our protest will continue in various forms," Manipur Congress chief K Meghachandra said.
He said they have submitted a memorandum to the prime minister with their demands.
"Manipur is also a part of India, so why has there been so much negligence by the central government over the past 18 months?
More than 60,000 people are in relief camps, and hundreds have lost their lives. How much longer do we have to suffer?" Meghachandra said.
The people of Manipur are asking and demanding that the Prime Minister bring and restore peace to the state, the MLA in the Manipur assembly said.
"The Manipur state government is being directly controlled by the central government, with the Chief Minister acting as nothing more than a paper tiger. It feels like an undeclared presidential rule. The Home Minister is directly controlling the situation in the state," he alleged.
"This is a clear example of negligence by the Prime Minister and the central government, as the PM has neither spoken on the current crisis in Manipur, visited the state, nor invited representatives for discussions," the Manipur Congress chief said.
In their letter to the PM, the INDIA bloc parties from Manipur said, "We, on behalf of the people of Manipur and also on behalf of the I.N.D.I.A bloc, Manipur, invite you (PM Modi for your visit in our state, Manipur, which has been in turmoil for nearing two years since the third of May, 2023."
"The people of Manipur have been eagerly waiting for your presence in the state to place their voices of helplessness to you since the third of May, 2023. As you are also aware that the turmoil has devastated the entire state with nearly a lakh of human population being internally displaced and hundreds of human lives being taken away, leaving the entire state into a complete chaos," the letter said.
The leaders of the 10 parties urged the prime minister to visit in Manipur, at the earliest, before the year ends.
"If you have no time to visit Manipur before this year of 2024 ends, then you are requested to invite all political parties from Manipur at your office or at your official Residence in New Delhi. As you being the Prime Minister, your direct involvement is requested as your pro-active engagement with the people of Manipur can only bring peace and normalcy in Manipur," the letter said.
They urged the prime minister to visit the state at the earliest, saying it would be of great strength in restoring peace and normalcy in Manipur.
In his remarks at the presser, Convenor for the 10 political parties of Manipur, Kshetrimayum Shanta, said they came from Manipur, over 3,000 km away to demand peace and restoration of normalcy, but were denied permission to do a sit-in protest.
"We condemn the attitude of the government led by PM Modi. He hasn't visited Manipur in the last two years, so we have invited him to visit Manipur. Nearly one lakh people have been displaced, hundreds have been killed, and thousands of houses have been burnt down," he said.
"It's because of the mal-administration of the double-engine government of the BJP that we're facing this situation," Shanta said.
"We have been divided by this government. We want this to end and be united again. We stand for the unity and integrity of Manipur," he said.
The Congress an other opposition parties have been attacking the prime minister for not visiting Manipur, besides slamming the Centre for its handling of the situation in the ethnic strife-torn northeastern state.
More than 220 people have been killed and thousands rendered homeless in ethnic violence between Imphal Valley-based Meiteis and adjoining hills-based Kuki-Zo groups since May last year.
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Air India resorts to cost-cutting ways amid 'tough times'; layoffs not anticipated
New Delhi/Mumbai (PTI): Hit hard by Pakistan airspace closure and Iran war, Air India has resorted to cost-cutting measures, including holding back annual increments for staff and asking them to cut discretionary spending as well as non-critical expenditures, warning of "tough times".
On Friday, Air India Chief Executive Officer & Managing Director (CEO & MD) Campbell Wilson told the staff it is going to be a "very, very difficult year" if things don't improve on the Middle East front.
A day after the loss-making airline's board discussed various cost-saving steps, Wilson, along with Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Sanjay Sharma and Chief Human Resources Officer (CHRO) Ravindra Kumar GP, addressed the employees during a townhall on Friday where the emphasis on the need to keep a close watch on costs.
With higher jet fuel prices due to the West Asia conflict and airspace curbs, the loss-making airline's expenses have spiralled in recent times and against this backdrop, Sharma also told staffers that FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Calling for a relentless focus on costs in these tough times, Wilson urged employees to suspend discretionary spending, renegotiate rates where feasible, and defer non-critical expenditures.
"There must be a laser-sharp focus on eliminating wastage and leakages," he said.
Stressing the need to tighten the belt for a while, Wilson sounded optimistic that travel demand would rebound and the industry would continue on its upward path.
CHRO Ravindra Kumar told staff that the airline will proceed with variable pay for the last financial year and continue with planned promotions while noting that annual increments will be deferred by at least one quarter.
"We don't anticipate layoffs," he said.
At the airline's board meeting on Thursday, various cost-saving steps, including likely furloughs, were discussed. The Tata Group-owned airline has around 24,000 employees.
Generally, furlough refers to sending staff on unpaid leaves by companies during a tough financial situation.
During the townhall, CFO Sanjay Sharma said while strong revenue growth and fleet expansion drove financial momentum through FY25, FY26 has seen a softening in revenue amid heightened external uncertainties.
Air India has seen around 40 per cent CAGR (Compounded Annual Growth Rate) in revenue between 2022 and 2025, he added.
The airline was acquired by the Tata Group from the government in January 2022.
The Air India CEO mentioned the external challenges being facing the aviation industry as a whole, including the continued closure of Pakistan airspace that is expected to persist for the foreseeable future and geopolitical conflicts leading to disruptions and airspace closures across West Asia.
Wilson, who is set to step down later this year, also flagged a sharp depreciation of the rupee and a 2.5-3 times increase in jet fuel prices, and added that these factors have adversely affected travel sentiment and consumer confidence, as per the sources.
If the Strait of Hormuz opens, oil prices fall and consumer as well as business confidence come back, there is a decent chance of a solid recovery, Wilson said, adding that unless those circumstances happen, it was going to be "a very, very difficult year".
"I feel somewhat responsible that we ended up with probably the biggest surprise of the year in the external environment which was a full-scale war in our neighbouring region in the Gulf. That has had a huge impact on airspace," he said.
For Air India, Wilson said the situation is compounded by the fact that the airline cannot fly over the neighbouring country and has to take a much longer routing for any west-bound destination.
"Every airline is reporting that they are under some sort of financial pressure as a result of higher fuel prices and economic uncertainty. So, it is unfortunately not a great environment to be running an airline," the Air India CEO said.
The Air India Group -- Air India and Air India Express -- is projected to have incurred more than Rs 22,000 crore loss in the financial year ended March 2026.
At the townhall, Wilson also highlighted various initiatives, including completion of the retrofit of its legacy narrow-body aircraft and rapid network optimisation to redeploy capacity more efficiently.
