Manipur CM Biren Singh Hits Back At Jairam Ramesh, Says “Manipur In Turmoil Because Of The Past Sins Of The Congress Party”
First Published: 1st January, 2025 11:17 IST
He also questioned former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral over whether they visited the northeastern state to apologise for the conflicts in the 1990s.
Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday hit back at Congress leader Jairam Ramesh for criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting Manipur and blamed the party for the ongoing turmoil in the state.
Singh said that Manipur is in turmoil because of the past sins of the Congress party, including the repeated settlement of Burmese refugees in the state and the signing of the SoO (Suspended Operations) Agreement with Myanmar-based militants, which was led by former Home Minister P Chidambaram.
After Ramesh’s post on X, Biren Singh said, “The apology I extended today was a sincere act of expressing my grief for the people who have been left displaced and become homeless.”
“As a Chief Minister, it was an appeal to forgive and forget what had happened. However, you brought politics into it. Let me remind you: The Naga-Kuki clashes in Manipur resulted in the deaths of approximately 1,300 people and the displacement of thousands more”, Singh said.
He further recalled the Naga-Kuki clashes in Manipur between 1992 and 1997, saying this period marked one of the bloodiest ethnic conflicts in northeast India, deeply affecting relations between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur.
“The violence persisted for several years, with periodic escalations occurring between 1992 and 1997, though the most intense period of conflict was in 1992–1993. The clashes began in 1992 and continued at varying intensities for around five years (1992–1997). This period marked one of the bloodiest ethnic conflicts in northeast India, deeply affecting relations between the Naga and Kuki communities in Manipur”, he added.
He also questioned former Prime Ministers PV Narasimha Rao and IK Gujral over whether they visited the northeastern state to apologise for the conflicts in the 1990s.
“Did Shri PV Narasimha Rao, who served as the Prime Minister of India from 1991 to 1996 and was the President of the Indian National Congress during this time, come to Manipur to extend an apology? The Kuki-Paite clashes claimed 350 lives in the state. During most of the Kuki-Paite clashes (1997–1998), Shri IK Gujral was the Prime Minister of India. Did he visit Manipur and say sorry to the people? Instead of putting efforts to solve the core issues in Manipur, why is the Congress playing politics over it all the time?” Biren Singh said in the post on X.
Since May 2023, Manipur has been facing ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kuki communities. While the Meiteis are in a majority in the Imphal Valley, the Kukis are dominant in hill districts.
The violence has claimed over 250 lives, and around 50,000 people have been left homeless.
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