Amit Shah, the Union Home Minister, charged that the Congress had politicized the Manipur violence and asserted that the BJP was always open to discussion. Speaking to the Lok Sabha during the debate on the vote of no-confidence, he added that the violence in Manipur was decreasing and pleaded with the Opposition “not to add fuel to the fire.”
“I concur with the Opposition’s assertion that there have been ethnic confrontations in Manipur. When discussing the incidents in Manipur in the Lok Sabha, Amit Shah said, “Manipur violence is shameful, and making it political is even more shameful.
Stating that the situation has been improved in the state, he said, “I request the Opposition not to put fuel to fire. Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur to do politics. He insisted on visiting Churachandpur by road when we had arranged a helicopter for him. The country witnessed the whole drama on TV. The next day, he went on to use the helicopter, but he couldn’t do that before because he wanted to showcase his protest. Such kind of politics shouldn’t be done in a time of crisis.”
Shah rejected the calls for the resignation of Manipur’s chief minister and stated that Biren Singh was collaborating with the federal government to improve the state’s circumstances.
“A state CM needs to be changed when he is not cooperating. This CM has been working with the Centre,” Shah said.
He further alleged that the Opposition never wanted a discussion on the issue as they “sought ruckus rather than a productive discussion”.
“From day one, I was ready for the discussion on the Manipur issue, but the Opposition never wanted a discussion. The opposition doesn’t want me to speak but they can’t silence me. 130 crore people have selected us so they have to listen to us…During the past six years of our government, the need for curfew never rose,” the Union Home Minister said.
He charged the opposition with fomenting a “false perception” that the administration was trying to avoid dialogue.
The Union Minister cited an April High Court decision that instructed the state administration to consider including the Meitei people on the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list as justification for the violent conflicts. Shah stated, “The order only made things worse.”
After Amit Shah’s two-hour address on the no-trust motion, the Lok Sabha has been adjourned. On Thursday, the discussions will resume at 11 a.m.
