Rijiju defends Centre's handling of state crisis
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, March 07 2025:
Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has defended the central government's approach to the ongoing ethnic conflict in Manipur, emphasising that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is fully aware of the situation and working towards a long-term resolution.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday, Rijiju responded to concerns about the Prime Minister not visiting the violence-hit state in the last 20 months, in-spite of over 200 deaths in the ethnic violence.
When asked whether the government was avoiding discussions on Manipur, Rijiju countered by stating that the Prime Minister's focus was on understanding the root causes of the crisis rather than making symbolic visits.
"This Prime Minister is the only Prime Minister who has gone to the root and to ensure that the problems being faced by the people of Manipur will be settled and solved for years to come.
The Prime Minister should know the problem.
That is more important.
Visiting and making a statement is another thing," Rijiju asserted.
He acknowledged gravity of the situation but maintained that the government's approach was aimed at achieving a lasting solution.
Rijiju recalled past incidents of violence in Manipur, where various ethnic groups, including Meeteis, Kukis, and Nagas, had clashed and pointed out that previous governments had often responded with minimal intervention.
"There was a time when more than a thousand people got killed in Manipur.
A question was raised in Parliament, and the response was a small written reply.
Forget about the Prime Minister or Home Minister, even senior officials did not visit the state.
A joint secretary from the Ministry of Home Affairs went in the morning and returned by evening," he stated.
Rijiju emphasised that the current government, in contrast, has taken significant steps to address the crisis.
He highlighted Amit Shah's visit to Manipur, where he stayed for four days and urged armed groups to surrender their weapons, recognising that peace could only be achieved through dialogue.
"Without dialogue, you can't bring peace.
So for peace and for dialogue, you have to surrender arms," Rijiju stressed.
Referring to the recent call for voluntary surrender of arms under President's Rule, Rijiju noted that weapons were being surrendered, signalling positive developments.
However, he reiterated that the Manipur crisis was not a conflict between the people of Manipur and the Government of India but rather an unfortunate clash between two communities.
"The Government of India cannot use arms, and force to bring peace.
You have to appeal.
You can't use force," he explained.
Rijiju acknowledged that the crisis had cast a shadow over the significant progress made in the Northeast in recent years.
"So much development has happened in the Northeast.
One incident in Manipur is bringing a kind of a bad image, which is unfortunate," he said.
Despite this, he remained optimistic about the future, expressing confidence that with continued government efforts and cooperation from all factions in Manipur, peace and normalcy would soon be restored.
He assured that the government is committed to resolving the crisis through dialogue and reconciliation.
Rijiju said that the reason why the BJP has flourished in the northeast in the past decade is because everyone is "attracted to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to offer for the future of the region".
Taking a dig at the Congress, Rijiju said what could not be done in 65 years, the BJP has done in 10 years.
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