People want peace not food package: Ratan Thiyam
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, June 10 2023:
Acclaimed theatre di-rector and Padmashree Ratan Thiyam has said that people do not want food and financial packages after the violent clash but want peace package.
Ratan Thiyam took part a public discussion against sepa-rate administration and attempt to distort territorial integrity of Manipur at Iboyaima Shumang Leela Shanglen at Palace com-pound Saturday.
In his speech at the discus-sion, Ratan Thiyam said he was deeply hurt by the ethnic vio-lence which erupted on May 3 and has so far claimed the lives of more than 100 people apart from reducing properties and hous-es to ashes.
Manipur is known for rich art and culture but the sudden violence has given a very bad name to the state, which deeply hurts me and unable to restraint pain, he said.
According to Ratan Thiyam, there is no sign of bureaucrats and politicians putting efforts to restore peace and normalcy and the Centre too remains in-attentive to the state.
How irre-sponsible the Centre is towards the state has been revealed by the ongoing violence, he said, adding that all the communities of Manipur will suffer if people of the state do not mount pressure to the Centre to bring peace and normalcy.
Though small, Meetei community is very courageous and tolerant which the Centre is taking advantage of and re-maining silent, he alleged.
Even after more than one month of violence, Prime Minis-ter Narendra Modi is remaining silent despite fully understand-ing the gravity of the situation, Ratan Thiyam said and urged both the state and central gov-ernments to bring a solution and restore peace and normalcy.
People of Manipur do not want food package that Amit Shah announced during his state visit but want nothing more than restoration of peace and normalcy, he reiterated, add-ing that Centre's attitude has compelled people of the state to consider themselves as second class citizens of the country.
The public discussion cum sit-in-protest was attended by many men and women work-ing in cultural field and they shouted slogans against separate administration and distortion of territorial integrity of Ma-nipur.
They also shouted slogan demanding withdrawal of SoO.