The Congress on Thursday said that Narendra Modi-led central government's first outreach across the political spectrum on clashes in Manipur was a move “too little, too late”. Senior Congress leader K C Venugopal said the government woke up only after former party chief Sonia Gandhi's address to the people of the strife-torn state.
He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi's absence from the meeting called on June 24, when he will be on a state visit to Egypt.
"At the outset, the PM's absence from such a serious meeting shows his 'cowardice' and 'unwillingness' to confront his failures. Even when multiple delegations sought meetings with him, he had no time for them," the Congress leader alleged.
Noting that the home minister himself has presided over this situation and made no progress, he said in fact things have "worsened" since his visit.
"Can we expect genuine peace under his stewardship," he asked.
"Moreover, the continuation of the partisan state government and non-implementation of President's Rule is a travesty," Venugopal charged.
The Congress general secretary, in charge of Organisation, stressed that efforts to bring warring factions to the discussion table will lack seriousness if they are done sitting in Delhi.
"Any effort for peace must take place in Manipur, where the warring communities are brought on the discussion table and a political solution is arrived at. This effort will lack seriousness if it is done sitting in Delhi," he said in a tweet.
{{/usCountry}}"Any effort for peace must take place in Manipur, where the warring communities are brought on the discussion table and a political solution is arrived at. This effort will lack seriousness if it is done sitting in Delhi," he said in a tweet.
{{/usCountry}}With no significant improvement in the law and order situation in Manipur, Amit Shah has called an all-party meeting on June 24 in New Delhi to discuss the issue.
"Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah has convened an all party meeting on 24th June at 3 PM in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur," a home ministry spokesperson tweeted.
The northeastern state has been witnessing sporadic violence since May 3 in which at least 115 people have lost their lives and thousands have been displaced. Shah had visited the state for four days late last month and met a cross-section of people in his efforts to bring back peace in the northeastern state.