Manipur crisis: ‘Not something created by this govt,’ says DONER minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

Manipur crisis: Union Minister for Development of North Eastern Region (DONER), Jyotiraditya Scincia, said that the Manipur situation is not something that has been created by this government, but a situation that has been present for the last 25-40 years. He said that the government is seized of the matter and is talking to all the stakeholders. 

“The central government is seized of the matter...please also remember that Manipur is not a situation that has occurred in the last one year, the last five years or the last ten years. Manipur is a situation which has been there for the last 25 to 40 years. So it's not something that has been created by this government. We are talking to all factions and we are trying to bring about an amicable solution. The central government along with the state government is committed to finding a solution,” said Scindia. 

Scindia’s remarks come after members of opposition parties accused the BJP of not raising the issue during the debate on the Constitution even as rights in the state had been suspended. Trinamool Congress' Sushmita Dev said BJP MPs from the Northeast should resign as all the rights for the people in Manipur have been curtailed.

"Today, I say while we debate on the Constitution, which Constitutional right have you not suspended in Manipur? Liberty, expression of speech, everything is being suspended in Manipur. I stand here as a member of Parliament representing the Northeast, demanding the resignation of every MP from Northeast and every minister who is thumping their desk behind the Leader of the House," Dev said.

She also alleged that the ruling BJP is now creating different classes of citizens with different rights in Assam, adding that this is not what Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar wanted for the country. 

There also has been a persistent demand by the opposition parties for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to go to the state. 

Additionally, the Congress accused Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh of altering their explanations for the ethnic violence in the state. The party said that these contradictions and confusions have contributed to the government’s failure to restore peace and normalcy in Manipur. 

State Congress president Keisham Meghachandra stated that in a recent interview, Shah described the turmoil as an ethnic clash between two communities, while Singh previously attributed the violence to illegal infiltrators from Myanmar.