Imphal: Union Home minister Amit Shah moved a statutory resolution in the Lok Sabha on Thursday for the approval of the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur, which was adopted by the lower house.
The House also expressed its respect, sympathy, and deep sorrow for those who lost their lives in the violence in Manipur.
Introducing the resolution, Amit Shah, said ethnic violence between two communities in Manipur had started due to a decision by the Manipur High Court regarding a reservation-related dispute. “These are neither riots nor terrorism, but ethnic violence between two communities as a result of the interpretation of the High Court’s decision.”
“There has been no violence in Manipur for nearly four months, from December to March, and provisions for food, medicines, and medical facilities have been ensured in the camps.” He said online arrangements for technical and medical education have been made and for primary education, classes have been set up inside the camps, where arrangements for their studies have been made.
There should not be any violence and ethnic violence should not be linked to any political party. The opposition tried to portray a picture that ethnic violence occurred during ‘our’ governance, the Home minister said.
He informed the House that between 1993 and 1998, there was a Naga-Kuki conflict in Manipur for five years, which resulted in 750 deaths, and sporadic incidents continued for a decade. “While we believe such incidents should never happen under our rule, an unfortunate decision led to the violence, which was immediately brought under control.”
He said of the 260 deaths in the violence, 80 per cent occurred in the first month, while the remaining deaths occurred in the following months. He also mentioned that in the 1997-98 Kuki-Paite conflict, more than 50 villages were destroyed, 40,000 people were displaced, 352 people were killed, hundreds were injured, and 5,000 homes were burned. He further added that during the six-month-long Meitei-Pangal conflict took place in 1993 in which over 100 deaths occurred.
The Home minister said the opposition is trying to portray a picture as if this is the first violence in Manipur and our governance has failed. He mentioned that three major instances of violence—spanning 10 years, 3 years, and 6 months—had occurred during the rule of the previous government. He added that after these incidents of violence, no one from the then government, including the Home Minister, visited the region.
Amit Shah noted that BJP came to power in 2017, and in the previous five years, Manipur was shut down for an average of 212 days per year, despite the fact that no ethnic violence occurred during that time. He mentioned that there were over 1,000 encounters, which had to be taken cognizance of by the Supreme Court. “Before the High Court order, there was not a single day of shutdown and blockade in Manipur and there was no violence, in the six years of BJP rule since 2017.” He said in a specific situation, when both communities interpreted a High Court decision as being against them, violence erupted within just two days.
He said the opposition has also accused the government of ignoring the violence in Manipur. He informed the House that on the very day the High Court’s order was issued, security forces’ companies were dispatched to the region via Air Force planes. He emphasized that everyone shares the same concern on this matter. The Home minister appealed to all members, urging them not to politicize the issue, as the government is making every possible effort to restore peace in Manipur. He added that for every life lost in this violence, the House should hold respect, empathy, and sorrow in its heart.
After the imposition of President’s Rule in Manipur, discussions were held with both communities, and separate meetings with all organizations from both communities have taken place. The ministry will soon convene a joint meeting, he said. He emphasized that while the government is working to find a path to end the violence, the top priority is to establish peace.
Shah noted that there have been no deaths in Manipur for the past four months, with only two people injured, and the situation is largely under control. However, he said, “The situation would not be considered satisfactory until the displaced people are no longer living in camps. He mentioned that discussions are ongoing regarding a rehabilitation package for the displaced people.
“Our chief minister resigned, and then the Governor held discussions with 37 BJP members, 6 from NPP, 5 from NPF, 1 from JD(U), and 5 from Congress,” the Home minister said. “When most of the members stated that they were not in a position to form the government, the Cabinet recommended the imposition of President’s Rule, which was accepted by the President.”
The government wants peace to be restored in Manipur as soon as possible, along with rehabilitation efforts and healing the wounds of the affected people, Amit Shah said.
+ There are no comments
Add yours