“Both Communities Should Take Route of Dialogue, Next Meeting to be Held in Delhi”: Amit Shah in Rajya Sabha

Manipur: HM said that the Union government is not in favour of continuing President's Rule in the State even for a "single day".

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday asserted that both the communities in Manipur will understand and take the route of dialogue, adding that the next meeting of Manipur’s two warring communities is to be held in Delhi soon.

Speaking in Rajya Sabha, the Union Home Minister said that the political sallies of the opposition cannot heal wounds of those marred by violence in Manipur.

“We did not impose the President’s rule (Manipur) to fall the government, like Congress used to do… On February 11, the CM resigned, and everyone claimed it was because Congress was going to bring the No Confidence Motion. I want to clarify that there was no No-Confidence motion against that government because Congress did not have enough members to bring such a motion. After the resignation, no party proposed a government, and in that situation, it was decided that a President’s Rule would be imposed,” Shah said.

He further said that there had been no violence for months before the resignation and till today.

“A myth should not be created that the President’s Rule was imposed because we were unable to handle the situation… Seven years ago, the Congress government was there in Manipur… There was a curfew for 225 days a year… 1500 people were killed in encounters… There is a difference between racial violence and naxalism, and the ways to tackle both of them are different… Violence between two communities is different from the violence against the state,” he added.

Amit Shah accused the Trinamool Congress of “double standards” on violence against women.

“I don’t want to politicise this sensitive issue… Derek O’Brien raised the issue of abuse against women in Manipur. There was racial violence, and both communities were against each other; many women had to face abuse. There was nothing in West Bengal, and hundreds of women were abused in Sandeshkhali. No action was taken in the RG Kar hospital incident. Your government did nothing… And a person of your own party was behind it whom you had to suspend… We support neither, but you cannot have double stands,” Shah said.

Amit Shah further said that 13 meetings have taken place with both the communities.

“It was a High Court order that triggered the violence in the State in May 2023. The interpretation of the order led to insecurities among the tribal community about losing reservation status and it became a tribals versus non-tribal issue. 13 meetings have taken place with both the communities. The resolution was brought late to the House because the meetings continued. Even when the (budget) session was on, two meetings took place and the third and final meeting soon with the two communities in Delhi will be held soon. I hope both communities will understand and take the route of dialogue,” Shah said.

The Union Home Minister said that the Union government is not in favour of continuing President’s Rule in the State even for a “single day”.

Union Home MinisterAmit Shah moved the resolution for Rajya Sabha nod to the Presidential proclamation for the president’s rule in Manipur, and Parliament confirmed the imposition of President’s rule in Manipur.

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena MP Milind Deora said the government want peace, development, progress, and stability in Manipur.

“All the parties are concerned about Manipur. We want peace, development, progress, and stability. The Union Home Minister rightly said that this is not something that should be politicised. Imposing the President’s rule is not something that any government would want to do. Politicians and political parties must also work with the government,” Deora said.

Earlier, speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanded an inquiry into Manipur violence and asked the central government to table a White Paper in the House.

“For two years Manipur has been burning, and the government has failed in stopping the violence. More than 260 people have died, and over 60,000 have been displaced. Families have been torn apart, yet the BJP watched it in silence. Manipur’s economy has collapsed. GST collections have fallen. The state saw the horrifying situation,” Kharge said in Rajya Sabha.

He further said that the then Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh should have taken the morale responsibility and should have resigned on the first day of the violence.

“The BJP is working to save Prime Minister Narendra Modi but not Manipur. The Prime Minister refused to go there. What is the reason that PM Modi did not visit Manipur? Entire Manipur was burning in spite of that, but Modiji did not go there. He might have gone to a number of foreign countries during that time, but he did not step in Manipur. Rahul Gandhi visited Manipur and met the victims. Supreme Court judges and NGOs visited Manipur, but the Prime Minister did not. Unko fursat nhi haina bhai,” he added.
The Congress chief further claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no plans to bring peace to Manipur.

“What are you doing here, please bring the peace here (Manipur). The Prime Minister has time for election rallies but not for Manipur. He failed to bring peace. Therefore, I demand an inquiry and also to let them put a white paper on the table. So who is responsible for that? Everyone will know what is going on in Manipur. When people were crying in Manipur for food, you never responded,” he said.
Mallikarjun Kharge urged the Prime Minister to visit Manipur at the earliest and resolve the law and order situation there.

Manipur has been under the President’s rule since February after the resignation of chief minister N Biren Singh, as announced by the Ministry of Home Affairs.

President’s Rule was imposed in Manipur on February 13 under Article 356 of the Constitution, five days after Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned from his post.

The violence in Manipur between the Meiteis and the Kukis erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3, 2023. (ANI)

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