After over 50 days of unabated ethnic violence in Manipur which claimed over 120 lives and displaced more than 40,000 people, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday chaired an all-party meeting.
Even as he said all efforts were being made to restore peace in the state, a united Opposition demanded immediate resignation of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, disarming of militants and a visit to the violence-hit state by an all-party delegation.
Shah told the meeting that the situation was slowly returning to normal and not a single person had died since June 13 in violence in the state. However, none of the leaders from 18 political parties that attended the meeting demanded President’s Rule, but the Congress-led Opposition demanded that Biren Singh be sacked as a first step towards restoring peace.
BJP spokesperson and party in-charge of Manipur Sambit Patra said all participants raised their concerns rising above political differences. “The Home Minister told the meeting that ever since violence erupted in the state, there had not been a single day when he did not speak to the PM or received instructions from him on the matter,” he said.
His remarks were directed at Opposition parties, including the Congress, which said the PM should have chaired the meeting. AICC general secretary Jairam Ramesh and party leader and former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh said the CM should be “removed immediately as no peace is possible with him heading the state”.
Ibobi said the state government had failed miserably in providing effective governance when it was needed. “The CM himself admitted twice publicly to his failures in handling the situation. He also asked for forgiveness from the people,” Ibobi said.
He said the meeting should have been chaired by Prime Minister Modi, who has not said a single word on Manipur in over 50 days. He said all armed groups must be disarmed immediately without any compromise.
TMC leader Derek O’Brien wondered if the Union Government was “trying to turn Manipur into Kashmir”. DMK’s Tiruchi Siva alleged the Manipur violence was a reflection of the BJP’s failure.
Prominent among those present were BJP chief JP Nadda, Meghalaya CM Conrad Sangma (NPP), Sikkim CM Prem Singh Tamang (Sikkim Krantikari Morcha), Birendra Prasad Baishya (Asom Gana Parishad), M Thambi Durai (AIADMK), Pinaki Misra (BJD), Sanjay Singh (AAP), Manoj Jha (RJD) and Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiv Sena).
From the government side, Union ministers Pralhad Joshi Nityanand Rai and Ajay Kumar Mishra, Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla, and Director, Intelligence Bureau, Tapan Deka attended the meeting.
