Manipur violence shameful, politicising it even more shameful: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused the Congress of politicising the Manipur violence and said that the BJP was always ready for discussion on the issue.

Addressing Lok Sabha during the discussion on the no-confidence motion, he also said that the violence in Manipur was coming down and urged the Opposition “not to put fuel to the fire”.

“I agree with the Opposition’s claim that ethnic clashes have taken place in Manipur. Manipur violence is shameful, politicising it is even more shameful,” Amit Shah said while speaking about Manipur clashes in Lok Sabha.

Stating that the situation has been improved in the state, he said, “I request the Opposition not to put fuel to fire. Rahul Gandhi went to Manipur to do politics. He insisted on visiting Churachandpur by road when we had arranged a helicopter for him.

The country witnessed the whole drama on TV. The next day, he went on to use the helicopter, but he couldn’t do that before because he wanted to showcase his protest. Such kind of politics shouldn’t be done in a time of crisis.”

Shah dismissed the demands for Manipur Chief Minister’s removal from the post and said that CM Biren Singh was working along with the Centre to address the situation in the state.

“A state CM needs to be changed when he is not cooperating. This CM has been working with the Centre,” Shah said.

He further alleged that the Opposition never wanted a discussion on the issue as they “sought ruckus rather than a productive discussion”.

“From day one, I was ready for the discussion on the Manipur issue, but the Opposition never wanted a discussion. The opposition doesn’t want me to speak but they can’t silence me. 130 crore people have selected us so they have to listen to us…During the past six years of our government, the need for curfew never rose,” the Union Home Minister said.

He accused the Opposition of spreading a “false perception” that the government was avoiding a discussion.

Explaining the reason behind the violent clashes, the Union Minister mentioned a High Court ruling in April which directed the state government to contemplate adding the Meitei community to the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. “The order only aggravated the situation,” Shah said.

Lok Sabha has adjured after Amit Shah’s two-hour speech on the no-trust motion. The debates will resume at 11 am on Thursday.