Centre didn’t clear Muivah visit, hints PC

Rejecting the BJP claim that the Centre had given permission to NSCN(IM) leader T. Muivah to visit Manipur, Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said he was “surprised and disappointed” at BJP leader Prakash Javadekar’s statement.

Rejecting the BJP claim that the Centre had given permission to NSCN(IM) leader T. Muivah to visit Manipur, Home Minister P. Chidambaram on Saturday said he was "surprised and disappointed" at BJP leader Prakash Javadekar's statement. Javadekar had issued a statement criticising the government.

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Chidambaram had explained the situation in Manipur and the Centre's approach to a delegation led by Javadekar. He said the delegation not only thanked him for the briefing but also urged him to continue to deal with the situation with "tact and understanding".

"I am, therefore, surprised and disappointed by the statement issued by Prakash Javadekar yesterday," Chidambaram said in a statement issued on Saturday.

The Home Minister said there would be "problems and difficulties" during peace talks with the NSCN (IM) and the government's effort would be to deal with them, "patiently and tactfully". "The immediate problem is to ensure that the national highways are open and supplies of goods reach every district of Manipur," Chidambaram said. On Muivah's visit, the home minister indicated that the centre's permission wasn't sought or granted.

The All Manipur Christian Organisation (AMCO) has urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and bring an amicable solution to the ongoing impasse in Manipur.

In a memorandum, AMCO urged the PM to get to a solution acceptable to all concerned by inviting the aggrieved parties to the negotiating table.