NEW DELHI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Wednesday urged with folded hands the warring Kuki and Meitei communities in Manipur to hold talks to end ongoing the cycle of violence. After his intervention in the debate on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha, the House adopted a resolution calling for the restoration of peace in the state.
“I agree with the Opposition that there is a cycle of violence in Manipur ... Nobody can support such incidents. Whatever happened is shameful, but to politicise them is even more shameful,” Shah said.
He ruled out any change in chief ministership in Manipur, claiming incumbent N Biren Singh was fully cooperating with the Centre in restoring peace.
Shah said that the government was taking proactive measure to bring back peace. Because of the quick responses and intervention, the overall toll is comparatively low at 152, he said, adding the deployment of paramilitary forces along with Assam Rifles and the Manipur police helped in reducing incidents of violence.
Referring to the May 4 viral video, he said the government was not aware of it. Had the video been made available to the state Director General of Police instead of being circulated on social media on July 19, the culprits could have been immediately caught, Shah said.
Dwelling on the genesis of the conflict, the minister said ever since the military seized power in Myanmar, there has been an increased influx of Kukis into India following a crackdown on militants by the junta in 2021. To deal with concerns about Myanmar’s Kukis settling in Manipur’s jungles and changing the demographic balance in the state, the government initiated digital documentation of the refugees early this year to exclude them from voting and prevent the issuance of Aadhaar cards to them. It triggered rumours and insecurity among the natives, which fuelled unrest, Shah said in the nearly two-hour-long speech. Work on fencing the porous border with Myanmar is on.
LETTER TO PM FROM 40 MLAS
Forty Manipur MLAs on Wednesday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi making six major demands, including complete disarmament in the state and the quick implementation of the National Register of Citizens