New Delhi: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is likely to meet Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on June 14 over the Manipur violence. Sources close to the Chief Minister told ETV Bharat that during the meeting Sarma will brief Shah about the present situation in Manipur.
Sarma has recently visited Manipur and interacted with all stakeholders in the State, including Chief Minister N Biren Singh in Imphal. Sarma, who is also the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), has been assigned by Home Minister Amit Shah to visit Manipur and suggest necessary actions required to control the situation.
Sarma has an influence among many of the ethnic communities and political leaders in Manipur. After his visit to Manipur, Sarma informed that he will meet the Home Minister in Delhi and inform him about the present situation of the State. Meanwhile, controversy has erupted over the formation of a Peace Committee in the State.
Although some of the members have alleged that their names have been included in the committee without having any consultation with them, some sections believe that the appointment of the Manipur Chief Minister as the co-chair of the committee is a point of objection.
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Condemning the inclusion of Chief Minister N Biren Singh in the 51-member Peace Committee, the Indigenous Tribal Leaders Forum (ITLF) alleged that Singh is the "perpetrator of the current violence." "The state machinery under the Chief Minister N Biren Singh was responsible for engineering and escalation of the violence in Manipur," the ITLF said.
It said that a Peace Committee should only be formed after the return of normalcy and security for the Kuki-tribal villages had been ensured. "Formation of the committee is okay. But the appointment of the Chief Minister as the co-chair of the committee is totally objectionable," said a leader of the Kuki Students Organisation (KSU) of Delhi and NCR.
Talking to ETV Bharat, Grace Zou, leader of the Kuki Women Federation (KWF) said that the Central government must ensure peace in the State. "We want peace, but there is a section of people, who are trying to create disturbance and blame the Kuki community," said Zou. Zou and other members of the Kuki Women Federation had recently organised a protest demonstration in front of Home Minister Amit Shah's residence.
The present ethnic clash in Manipur between Kukis and Maiteis is one of the deadliest in the recent past where more than 100 people have already been killed and several others injured.
