MANIPUR: Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Jyotiraditya Scindia, said that the turmoil in Manipur is a legacy of the past and not something that the present government has created. He assured that both the central and state governments are engaged in dialogue with all stakeholders to find an amicable solution. Scindia said this situation has been going for decades, “Manipur is not a crisis that emerged in the last one, five, or ten years. It has been an issue for the last 25 to 40 years. The government is fully committed to bringing an amicable solution.
Scindia’s statement comes in the wake of severe criticism from opposition parties who alleged that the BJP-led government had neglected the crisis during the debate on the Constitution. Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev severely criticized the suspension of fundamental rights in the state and demanded that BJP MPs from the Northeast resign. She said, “Every constitutional right—liberty, freedom of speech—has been suspended in Manipur. BJP MPs from the region should resign”.
The Congress also accused the government of inconsistency in explaining ethnic violence. State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra pointed contradictions in statements by Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh. While Shah described the unrest as an ethnic conflict, Singh attributed it to illegal immigrants from Myanmar.
Leaders of the opposition parties have also demanded the prime minister Narendra Modi visit the state to take decisions that could ensure peace and normalcy return to the state.
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