MP Kapil Sibal on Manipur violence, communal virus affects politics
MP Kapil Sibal on Manipur violence, communal virus affects politics
New Delhi: In the wake of fresh violence in Manipur, Rajya Sabha member Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said that the coronavirus only affects the human body while the “communal virus” affects the body canny and its political benefits are temporary but scars are permanent.
A mob torched two houses in Imphal East district on Monday after four gunmen, including a former MLA, forced people to close their shops, police officials said.
In a tweet, Sibal said, “Manipur is burning again. Earlier clashes: 70 killed, 200 injured. ‘Coronavirus’ infects only human body, ‘communal virus’ infects body politic.”
If it (communal virus) spreads, the consequences are unimaginable. Its political advantage is temporary, its scars are permanent! said Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2 and quit the Congress in May last year. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an independent member with the support of the Samajwadi Party.
Sibal recently launched a non-electoral platform ‘Insaaf’ which aims to fight injustice.
The opposition is targeting the BJP governments at the Center and the state over the violence in Manipur.
No casualties were reported in fresh violence in Manipur.
At present, around 10,000 soldiers of the Army and Assam Rifles are deployed in the state.
Earlier, clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meti community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence in Manipur was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of small-scale protests.
Meiteis constitute about 53% of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. The tribals – Nagas and Kukis – constitute another 40 percent of the population and live in the hilly districts.
The ethnic clashes have claimed more than 70 lives and nearly 10,000 army and paramilitary personnel have been deployed to restore order in the northeastern state.
