Days before the all-party meet called by Union Home Minister Amit Shah to discuss the situation in Manipur which has been roiled by ethnic clashes since May 3 that have claimed more than 110 lives, senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi slammed the Centre over calling the meeting at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting the US. “Manipur has been burning since 50 days, but the Prime Minister remained silent. An all-party meeting was called when the Prime Minister himself is not in the country! Clearly, this meeting is not important for the Prime Minister,” Rahul tweeted. 50 दिनों से जल रहा है मणिपुर, मगर प्रधानमंत्री मौन रहे। सर्वदलीय बैठक तब बुलाई जब प्रधानमंत्री खुद देश में नहीं हैं! साफ है, प्रधानमंत्री के लिए ये बैठक महत्वपूर्ण नहीं है। — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) June 22, 2023 The Opposition has questioned the Prime Minister’s silence on the issue and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi had said that the violence had left a “deep wound” in the state. Incidentally, a day before the planned meeting, on June 23, leaders from various Opposition parties are expected to gather in Patna to work out a strategy to counter the BJP in 2024. The all-party meet is the Centre’s first outreach across the political spectrum on Manipur. An official said Shah has invited all political parties and they are likely to meet at the Parliament Library building to discuss the way forward to break the deadlock. Last month, Shah visited Manipur for four days and met a cross-section of people as part of efforts to restore peace. He met victims from both the Meitei and Kuki communities in relief camps, and assured them about adequate security. He said the government’s focus is to ensure their safe return home. Shah had paid a four-day visit to the state starting May 29, meeting both Meitei and Kuki leaders and making a host of promises — provided there was a cessation of violence. However, after initial large-scale clashes from May 3 to 5, Manipur has seen a second wave of violence, primarily in the form of arson and shootings in areas between the Kuki-dominated hills and the Meitei-dominated valley. The worst incident in the fresh flare-up was on the night of June 13, when nine people were killed in incidents of firing and arson in Aigejang village in Manipur’s Kangpokpi district. The fresh incidents of violence have also included attacks on the homes of elected representatives, including many from the ruling BJP. In a memorandum to the PMO earlier this week, eight BJP MLAs from Manipur had highlighted that the public has lost faith in the state government.
