Manipur BJP MLAs tell Amit Shah we are under pressure to resign

Guwahati: Amid sporadic incidents of violence in the hill state of Manipur, 14 MLAs from the state met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Guwahati on the intervening night of May 25 and 26 to apprise him of the current situation.
Shah is scheduled to visit Manipur on May 29 and is likely to spend three days in the state.
The delegation was headed by Speaker Tha Satyabarta and included Ministers Awangbou Newmai, Dr Sapam Ranjan Singh, H Dingo and Sushindro Yaima. It was an all-party team consisting of 10 MLAs from BJP and National People’s Party (NPP) MLAs and two MLAs from Naga People’s Front (NPF).
The meeting held at Guwahati’s Koinadhara Guest House No. 1 lasted for about 40 minutes. The Home Minister patiently listened to the concerns of the Manipur legislators.
During the meeting, the MLAs urged Shah to initiate suspension of operations (SOO) against insurgent groups suspected of involvement in the recent violence, fence the international border and state National Register of Citizens (NRC) should be conducted. He alleged that illegal weapons smuggled across the border were used by miscreants involved in violent activities.
Two NPF legislators blamed certain vested interests, which were influenced by the state government’s anti-poppy cultivation campaigns, for fueling the recent violence.
In response, the Union Home Minister said he would take all necessary steps to rein in rebel outfits in Manipur, both in the Imphal Valley and in the hills, before coming to the state on May 29. The central government has taken charge of the law. and discipline in Manipur after widespread violence erupted in the state on 3 May. Since then, around 71 people have been killed and more than 300 injured in incidents of firing, vandalism and arson. According to sources, more than 25 thousand people have been displaced.
Shah asked the legislators to convince people of all communities to move beyond what happened in the last one month and show tolerance towards each other. The Union Home Minister is believed to have said that the Meitei community should now show greater courage as they are the majority of the population. However, he accepted that provocations are coming from the other side as well.
Responding to the NRC demand, Shah said the timing of such an exercise was not right as the first priority should be to restore peace in the state. He also directed Chief Minister N. Biren Singh to actively work towards creating an atmosphere where both the groups – Meiteis and Kukis – could engage in dialogue to restore peace in the state.
The MLA alleged that the people of Meitei were angry with the central government’s slow action against SOO groups. Since both the governments – center and state – belong to the BJP, people believe that the local BJP legislators should resign as they have failed to convince the central government to protect the interests of the Meiteis.
The MLA pointed out how recently the people of Imphal Valley attacked the houses of two ministers. One BJP MLA told Amit Shah in Guwahati, “If the public does not see any improvement and the situation continues, we will have no choice but to resign.”
On May 26, Manipur MLA RK Imo Singh took to his social media handle to express his satisfaction on meeting Amit Shah. He mentioned that the Manipuri delegation urged the Home Minister to take necessary steps to restore peace and normalcy in the state and provide maximum control to the state and central security forces in the foothills and interior areas. Provide full control over illegal armed forces. Rebel groups across the state in their camps.
“The Home Minister has asked us to inform the people of Manipur that he is coming to Manipur on May 29 and will stay in Imphal for a few days, visit other affected areas, and all stakes from all sections of the society. will meet the holders to achieve lasting peace. Manipur. He said if we want to bring peace in the entire state, restraint must be shown from all sides,” Amu Singh wrote on his social media handle.
The delegation also met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma and requested all possible resources to restore peace in the state.