New Delhi,25 June(City Times): The majority of opposition parties requested the dismissal of chief minister N Biren Singh at the all-party meeting on the unrest in Manipur called by Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday because he was “partisan and part of the problem.” In order to prevent the north-eastern state from simmering once more, they also demanded that the Centre implement a “time-bound action plan” for peace.
The home ministry provided party leaders with a thorough overview of the actions taken since the state’s first violent incident on May 3, including the deployment of roughly 36,000 security personnel there and the dispatch of at least 40 IPS officials to closely monitor the situation.
According to sources, senior home ministry officials presented a thorough overview of the government’s actions to date, including Home Minister Amit Shah’s three-day trip to Manipur. BJP president JP Nadda, minister Prahlad Joshi, and two junior Home Ministers, Nityanand Rai and Ajay Kumar Teni, were also present at the meeting in addition to senior ministry officials and members of 18 other parties.
The attendees were informed that up to this point, the state has seen 131 fatalities, 419 injuries, 5,036 recorded arson events, 5,889 cases of FIR lodged, 144 arrests, and 5,036 reported arson incidents. It was also reported that ethnic violence had a history in Manipur and that 750 people had died in 1993 as well as similar riots in 1997 and 1998.
Several political groups, including the CPM, AAP, RJD, and Congress, reportedly sought Biren Singh’s dismissal due to the state’s ongoing violence since he no longer had the “legitimacy” to lead the government. A group made up of representatives from all parties, including TMC, asked permission to visit the state. According to reports, the Samajwadi Party campaigned for president’s rule in Manipur.
Since early May, ethnic violence has resulted in thousands of people being forced from their homes in addition to fatalities. Both snipers and crowds have been engaged in combat by central forces. In addition to engaging with diverse groups of people during his four-day visit to the state in May, Union Home Minister Amit Shah spoke of a 15-day opportunity for rebel groups to lay down their weapons and assist in restoring peace.
According to people who are aware of the issue, Manoj Kumar Jha of the RJD expressly brought up the simmering situation at the meeting and said that the Centre should have been aware of it. John Brittas of the CPI(M) is reported to have inquired why there had only been 144 arrests so far and urged that Biren Singh be removed from his position as leader. The ministry is reported to have responded that it was treating the issue delicately and taking care not to make things worse.
According to insiders, the CPM also questioned the government’s response to violent groups stealing weapons from security forces. According to the Center’s response, it has been learned that in 1,600 cases, guns have already been turned up. Sanjay Singh of the AAP, Tiruchi Siva of the DMK, and Priyanka Chaturvedi of the Shiv Sena (UBT) all made reference to the Chief Minister’s inability to stop the violence.
All rebel organisations should be disarmed right now, according to the Congress, which was represented by Okram Ibobi Singh, who served as the chief minister of Manipur for 15 years, from 2002 to 2017. The party has further asked that the Prime Minister preside over an all-party gathering in Imphal.
The Chief Ministers of Meghalaya (Conrad Sangma) and Sikkim (Prem Singh Tamang), both members of the NDA, spoke after LJP at the meeting. According to reports, Mr. Tamang mentioned that the NDA will reduce violence in the North East. “That was the meeting’s lone marginally political topic. The rest of the group remained politically neutral. The home minister listened to everyone’s comments with patience. Another participant added, “When Congress wanted to speak after him, he encouraged them to come over for a supper to talk about the topic in depth.
The parties also noted that in order for the peace committees to function, much more has to be done to boost public confidence. To investigate the violence, a 51-member peace committee and a Commission of Inquiry, led by former chief judge of the Gauhati High Court Ajai Lamba, have been established.
The home minister was forthright in acknowledging that there is still some unrest in the region but that the government is working to reduce the number of fatalities. One of the participating MPs remarked, “He advised us to have trust in the administration that everything is being done to restore normalcy.
The home minister is said to have demonstrated a detailed grasp of Manipur, its history, and the resident communities, as well as prior instances of violence in the state, according to those in attendance at the meeting. He made it apparent that he had researched the past and that throughout his three nights there, he had interacted with every group, even unrepresented parties. He made it clear that he is aware of the past and would not allow it influence his present or future decisions, according to a meeting participant.
The home minister stated that they were there as leaders of political parties when one of the members questioned why the chief ministers of Sikkim and Meghalaya, two North Eastern states, were there but not Manipur.According to the home ministry, since June 13 night, no one has lost their life in acts of violence in Manipur, and things are gradually getting back to normal there. According to the statement, 20 medical teams have been dispatched to assure the delivery of all necessities, including medications.
The home ministry added that 80 km of border fencing had been awarded in a competitive process, and that the survey for the remaining 10 km of border had already begun. The ministry authorities reported that MoS (home) Nityanand Rai had spent more than 20 days in the state, in addition to Mr. Shah’s outreach to various groups of people in Manipur to promote peace.The home minister made it clear that the Prime Minister continuously assessed the situation in Manipur, even while he was away, and that he oversaw all actions taken in Manipur to stop the violence.
