Amit Shah to visit violence-hit Manipur, calls for peace through dialogue
People of violence-hit areas of Manipur at a relief camp setup by the Assam Government, in Cachar district of Assam.
He assured that everyone would get justice but warned the perpetrators of the violence, stating they would not be spared.
GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said he would soon visit violence-hit Manipur for three days and talk to “all brothers and sisters” for re-establishing peace in the state.
“Some clashes occurred in Manipur due to a court judgement. I want to tell my Manipur brothers that we should maintain peace. People belonging to both groups (Meiteis and Kukis) have to first decide on maintaining peace,” Shah said from Guwahati.
He was speaking at a programme organised to lay the foundation stone for a National Forensic Science University in Assam.
He assured that everyone would get justice but warned the perpetrators of the violence, stating they would not be spared. He appealed to people to keep their faith and trust in the Narendra Modi government.
“We marched forward in Manipur for six years (under the BJP). There was no bandh or blockade. We will peacefully resolve the conflict. I will soon visit Manipur for three days and talk to all brothers and sisters for establishing peace,” Shah said.
He said the people of Manipur could bring peace. He appealed to them to remove distrust and march ahead in the process of peace. “The road to peace has to be explored and I believe peace can be established through dialogue,” the home minister said.
Earlier in the day, the Congress criticised him for not visiting Manipur.
“The Union Home Minister goes all the way to Guwahati today, but does not deem it fit to visit Imphal when Manipur has been burning for 22 days. This is the same Union Home Minister who held 16 rallies and 15 road shows in Karnataka, but cannot find time for the people of Manipur who are suffering a lot due to the ideology and politics of the so-called Double Engine Sarkar,” Congress leader Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
At least 71 people had lost their lives, over 1,700 houses were burned down and 35,000 people displaced in the violence which broke out on May 3 after a “Tribal Solidarity March” organised by a tribal students’ organisation in the state’s all ten hill districts to oppose the move for the inclusion of Meiteis – the state’s largest community – in the Scheduled Tribes list.
The High Court of Manipur had asked the state government to consider the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribes list.
