Cong picks holes in Amit Shah's statement
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 18 2024: Saying that the statement given by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Government holding talks with Meitei and Kuki groups to resolve the crisis in Manipur lacks clarity, the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has urged the Government to make clear which groups are involved in the negotiation.

Amit Shah had yesterday stated the Government is in talks with Meitei and Kuki groups to defuse the tension among the two communities and restore normalcy in Manipur.

Addressing the media at Congress Bhavan today, working president of the MPCC Kh Devabrata continued that the statement of Amit Shah lacks clarity because there are several groups for both Meiteis and Kukis and whom the Government is engaged in talks with wasn't explained.

Saying that they also haven't seen the Government identifying Kuki and Meitei groups or leaders to hold a dialogue, the Congress leader expressed desire for the Government to be clear and transparent while taking up any peace initiative.

He further said that some parts of the statement given by Amit Shah yesterday on the Manipur issue was identical to what Chief Minister N Biren Singh had said on September 16 while taking part in the golden jubilee celebration of All Manipur Working Journalists' Union.

Illegal immigrants were the root cause of the unrest in Manipur as per Amit Shah and the same observation was made by the Chief Minister on September 16, he added.

Devabrata said that people expected some concrete actions from the Central Government to restore normalcy in Manipur within the 100 day action programme of the third term of Prime Minister Narendra Modi but what the Government did was contradictory to the people's expectation.

Though not promised, the Central Government had indicated that they will work out a solution to the crisis before September 16 but what Amit Shah announced yesterday was a roadmap not the solution, he said.

The Congress leader also maintained that it would have been better if Amit Shah had spoken about the strong possibility of foreign hands being involved in the Manipur crisis.

Meanwhile, the Congress leader said that a document bearing the signature of Secretary to the Chief Minister N Geoffrey has been doing the rounds on social media with the claim that about 900 well trained Kuki militants have entered Manipur.

Apart from social media, what was written in the document was published by some media houses, although they later clarified that the report was false, he said.

Saying that people especially at sensitive areas are restless and alarmed because of the circulation of the report, he urged the Government to clarify the authenticity of the document immediately.

The clarification can come from the Chief Minister's Office, N Geoffrey himself or the DGP but the people have to be informed whether the document was fake or authentic, he added.

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