Manipur Violence: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will chair an all-party meeting in the national capital today (June 24) to discuss the situation in Manipur. The meeting is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
As incidents like arson are still happening in Manipur since May 3, the state government has extended the internet ban with immediate effect for five more days till June 25 (Sunday) in an effort to maintain peace and prevent disturbance. Data services have also been banned in view of the ongoing unrest in the state.
Violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May after clashes broke out during a rally organized by the All Tribals Students’ Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for inclusion of Meites in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.
Congress reaction on Manipur crisis:
Appealing for peace and harmony in the state, Congress Parliamentary Party President Sonia Gandhi said the unprecedented violence ravaging people’s lives in Manipur has “left a deep wound on the conscience of our nation”.
Questioning the timing of the all-party meeting called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on June 24 to discuss the current situation in Manipur in the wake of ethnic violence and clashes, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said it was being called at a time when the Prime Minister Minister Narendra Modi is on a state visit to the United States, which shows that this meeting is not important to him.
Rahul tweeted, “Manipur has been burning for 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. The all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Obviously, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister.”
Meanwhile, Congress leader KC Venugopal also lashed out at PM Modi on Thursday over his silence on the situation in Manipur. Venugopal claimed, “Manipur is burning for the last 53 days. PM Modi has not spoken a single word yet. A delegation from Manipur was here for the last 10 days, but the PM was not ready to meet them.”
(with inputs from agencies)
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