Kolkata: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit Kolkata on Monday night, but before he could land, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee advised him that he should visit Manipur, which is witnessing unprecedented violence over the last few days. The Chief Minister held a press conference at the Secretariat Nabanna on Monday and gave a piece of advice to the Union Home Minister. However, she didn't mention Amit Shah's name.
"Not from the political point of view, but from the humanity's point of view and peace point of view, the election is not important, but the blood of the people is very important," Mamata said at the press conference. At the same time, Mamata Banerjee made it clear that she is not against Amit Shah coming to Bengal. She always wants to welcome the Union Home Minister to this state, but now she feels that Shah should go to Manipur first.
Incidentally, unrest has started in Manipur since last Wednesday. Last Thursday, a shoot-at-sight was ordered by the Governor to stop the violence. On the same day, the Chief Minister of West Bengal tweeted expressing concern about the situation in the state of North East India.
She also gave a message to the BJP without naming them. Mamata expressed the view that he should focus on Manipur instead of being preoccupied with Karnataka polls.
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Meanwhile, expressing her concern over the current situation in violence-hit Manipur, Mamata alleged that the BJP government is not providing a clear picture of the death toll in the northeastern state where shoot-at-sight orders are in force. She also lashed out at the BJP government in the Centre for not sending a single representative to Manipur to review the situation.
Speaking to reporters at the Secretariat, Mamata urged the people of Karnataka to vote for stability and development, and not for the BJP. "I am quite tense with the situation in Manipur. We are not getting a clear picture of the number of deaths in shoot-at-sight (order) as the state government is not giving any information," she said. (With Agency Inputs)