HYDERABAD: Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Tuesday claimed that the violence that has plagued Manipur for over a year was the result of a conspiracy by certain corporate entities to exploit the valuable minerals in the northeastern state.
“Violence between two tribal communities has erupted, creating a war-like situation in Manipur. The root cause of this is the supply of thousands of modern weapons, such as AK-47s, to these communities. Which corporate companies are encouraging this civil war in Manipur to loot its valuable minerals? By conspiring to turn this into a conflict between two tribal communities, some corporate forces plan to exploit Manipur’s mineral wealth,” Revanth alleged.
He questioned why the Union government and armed forces were unable to establish peace when two tribal communities were fighting with modern weapons.
Revanth was addressing a gathering at Ravindra Bharathi after unveiling “Nuts, Bolts of War & Peace”, a book authored by former MLC K Yadava Reddy.
During his address, Revanth stated that since Narendra Modi became the prime minister in 2014, China has occupied 2,000 to 4,000 sq km of Indian territory. He called for extensive debates across the country on China’s occupation of Indian territory and the violence in Manipur. “The undeclared war happening in India should be debated, and everyone should be made aware,” Revanth added.
Responding to calls by CPM leader Julakanti Ranga Reddy and other speakers to take action against the Adani Group—which is manufacturing defence equipment, such as drones, in Hyderabad and supplying them to Israel for use in the genocide of Palestinians in Gaza—Revanth made it clear that it was not within his jurisdiction.
“I can’t do anything in this regard. It is not in our hands. With approval from the Centre, the previous government (BRS) entered into agreements with the Adani Group. After the liberalisation policy came into force in the country, it is not possible to unilaterally cancel agreements with corporate entities. By amending the Constitution, Modi has allowed 100% private investment in the defence sector. Therefore, the state government cannot cancel these agreements unilaterally,” he said.
The chief minister opined that there was a need for a comprehensive book on the Telangana statehood movement, covering events and incidents from the Mulki and non-Mulki days to June 2, 2014. “Only then will future generations understand how Telangana was achieved,” he said.
He praised Yadava Reddy and former Union minister S Jaipal Reddy, stating that they did not change their ideology or views for political positions.