"What's happening today is because of Congress...": Manipur CM Biren Singh
Apr 15, 2024
Imphal (Manipur) [India], April 15 : Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for his assurance of restoring peace in the state of Manipur and said that his visit has induced confidence among the public.
He also blamed Congress party for the violence in the state and said that had the grand old party fenced the border, it would have prevented the influx of migrants.
Speaking to ANI, Amit Shah said, "That's what the people of Manipur were waiting for, the Home Minister comes and gives some confidence...and he said everything, about border fencing, the Free Movement Regime (FMR), and illegal immigrants. But, most importantly, he said that that the unity and integrity of Manipur won't be touched while restoring peace in Manipur. Till there is BJP, nothing will happen to Manipur."
"This is a very big statement...and BJP does what it says. The people of Manipur are very relaxed after his (Amit Shah's) statement. He (Shah) also said as PM Modi's third term starts, it is the government's priority to bring peace in Manipur without touching the unity and integrity of Manipur," he added.
The Manipur CM further slammed Congress, accusing it of "appeasement politics" and saying that had Congress fenced the border, the situation wouldn't have become this bad.
"Congress has always done appeasement policy. What is happening today is because of them. If they had fenced the border in their time, the influx hadn't happened. Who is Congress to tell about administrative facilities. But, BJP says not an inch of demography or integrity will be altered, but will restore peace with discussions," he said.
Earlier in the day, Union Home Minister Amit Shah reiterated that whatever happens, the BJP government won't let Manipur break down. He said that restoring peace will be the biggest priority of BJP in PM Modi's third term.
"The most important thing is that no matter how much one tries- 'hum Manipur ko tutne nahi denge'," he said in a rally in Imphal.
"Congress has always given importance to the 'tukde tukde' gang...BJP has ended corruption in Manipur...In the coming days, PM Modi's priority is to maintain peace in Manipur," the Home Minister added.
Manipur has been gripped in ethnic violence for close to a year. In September last year, Manipur Police informed that the violence claimed 175 lives, while another 1,138 were injured 33 people reported missing. Several houses and properties were also set ablaze.
Ethnic clashes erupted in the Northeast state in May, last year, after a tribal solidarity march organised to protest against an order of the Manipur High Court, asking the state government to consider including the majority community in the state in the list of Scheduled Tribes, took a violent turn.