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Surgical strike should be done in Manipur: BJP ally leader amid row over Rahul Gandhi's Army remark
If all Kuki militants are in the camp, then where is this fire coming from? There are illegal Kuki militants, NPP leader M Rameshwar Singh said.
Amid a row over Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Army can contain the situation in Manipur in two days which Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma objected to, NPP leader M Rameshwar Singh said effective actions like a surgical strike should be done in Manipur because there are illegal immigrants in the state. National People's Party is an ally of the BJP in Manipur.
"Had also requested the Union minister that the narrative that some of the agencies are trying to build saying that all the Kuki militants are in the camps now and all the weapons are with them. So the doubt is now coming to the people of Manipur is that where is the fire coming from. Who is firing from the other side? It is clear from the statements made by the Union home minister that there are some illegal immigrants, illegal Kuki militants coming from across the border. And he has been saying that there is an external aggression involved in it. It is important -- not only for Manipur -- that something effective, impactful, like surgical strike, should be done so that the problem is solved for once and all," M Rameshwar Singh said.
The statement comes amid a row over Rahul Gandhi's statement that the Indian Army won't take three days to bring the situation in Manipur under control. Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma criticised the comment and said the Army won't be able to do anything as the solution to the Manipur situation has to come from the hearts and not from the bullets. "Is Rahul Gandhi suggesting that Army should open fire on innocent people? The Indian Air Force did the same thing in 1966," Himanta said adding that army deployment will not bring a permanent solution to the Kuki-Meitei crisis in Manipur.
BJP MP Ravi Shankar Prasad said Rahul Gandhi's thinking is not democratic. "He wants the Indian Army to shoot Indians," the BJP MP said.
Manipur has been on fire since May after the clash between the Kuki and the Meitei communities spread violence across the state. In July, a video of two Kuki women paraded naked surfaced triggering nationwide outrage. The opposition brought a no-confidence motion against the PM Modi government over the Manipur crisis. As the NDA defeated the motion, PM Modi assured Manipur that the country stands beside Manipur.
