E-Paper
10 political parties' leaders meet Manipur CM; seek PM’s intervention on crisis
The parties said it will not be possible to find solutions to the problem without the involvement of the central government
Leaders and representatives of ten political parties in Manipur met chief minister N Biren Singh and urged him to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister on the ongoing Manipur issue.
State units of the ten political parties namely Congress, Janata Dal(U), CPI, CPI (M), All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), All India Forward Bloc, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), Shiv Sena (UBT) and Revolutionary Socialist Party submitted a memorandum to the chief minister on Sunday evening.
“Chaired a meeting with representatives of the 10 political parties at my secretariat to address the current situation in Manipur. Constructive discussions were held, reflecting a united commitment to navigate challenges and work collectively for the well-being of our state”, CM Biren Singh posted on his official X (formerly Twitter) account.
Also Read: CBI files chargesheet against five in Manipur arms loot case
After submitting the memorandum, former CM and Congress Legislature Party leader O Ibobi said, “The ten political parties have urged the Chief Minister to seek an appointment to meet the Prime Minister and urged him to end the Manipur crisis.”
“In a democratic set up, there should be a dialogue. There should be a solution if there is a problem,” Ibobi said.
Meanwhile, the ten political parties in their memorandum to the CM said it will not be possible to find solutions to the problem without the active involvement of the central government considering the complexities of the conflict.
“It is the Government of India, who only can bring the parties in the conflict to the negotiating table and find a solution acceptable to all,” it added.
“We, the representatives of the ten political parties, strongly urge upon you, being the chief minister of Manipur, to arrange a meeting with the Prime Minister of India which we are willing to participate in to share our thoughts and suggestions. We are confident that you will not fail in taking all pains to lead us in the overall interest of the state and its people at this hour of crisis,” the memorandum added.
Ethnic clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis first erupted on May 3 during a protest against a court-ordered tweak to the state’s reservation matrix, granting Scheduled Tribe status to the latter.
The violence quickly engulfed the state where ethnic fault lines run deep, displacing tens of thousands of people who fled burning homes and neighbourhoods into jungles, often across state borders. More than 200 people have been killed in the violence.
