Jairam Ramesh Poses Four Questions After Amit Shah’s Manipur Statement

Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised four critical questions following Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s statement on the situation in Manipur. Ramesh expressed doubts about Shah’s portrayal of peace and dialogue in the state, which has been facing ethnic violence since May 2023.

Ramesh questioned, “If the situation in Manipur is as normal as the self-styled Chanakya has made it out to be, why hasn’t the non-biological PM found time to visit Manipur since the violence erupted on May 3, 2023?” He further asked why Prime Minister Modi hasn’t met with political leaders from the state, including the Chief Minister, for a serious discussion.

The Congress leader also inquired about the absence of a full-time Governor and the Chief Secretary, who has been missing from the state for 45 days. Ramesh questioned why many MLAs and Ministers have left the state, and why the BJP’s office in Imphal remains non-functional.

If the situation in Manipur is as normal as the self-styled Chanakya has made it out to be today,

If the Chief Minister of Manipur is doing as good a job as the self-styled Chanakya has made it out to be today,

If a dialogue process with different communities is under way as…

— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) September 17, 2024

These questions came in response to Amit Shah’s assertion that the government is engaging with both the Meitei and Kuki communities to ensure peace in Manipur. Shah also highlighted efforts to fence the India-Myanmar border, which he identified as a key source of unrest.

“There was peace in the last three days and I am hopeful that we will be able to control the situation. We are talking to both communities. It was ethnic violence and unless there is dialogue between the two communities, no solution could be found. We are talking to Kuki and Meitei groups. We have prepared a roadmap and will take all possible steps (to ensure peace),” the Home Minister has said earlier in the day.