Manipur situation: PM Modi chairs key meet on return from US, Egypt state visits

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday chaired a high-level meeting on the situation in Manipur where he was briefed on the all-party meeting convened by Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday.

The meeting comes barely hours after the Prime Minister’s return to India from his state visits to the United States and Egypt. PM Modi landed in Delhi early on Monday where he was welcomed by Bharatiya Janata Party president JP Nadda and other party leaders from Delhi.

Also Read: Sack Manipur CM, fix time-frame to restore normalcy: Opposition tells Amit Shah at all-party meeting

Besides Amit Shah, the meeting with the PM saw senior ministers including Nirmala Sitharaman and Hardeep Singh Puri in attendance.

The meeting comes amid the Opposition’s accusations that the BJP governments at the Centre and in Manipur “failed miserably” in handling the situation in Manipur. The north-eastern state has been marred by violence and ethnic clashes for over 50 days now, resulting in multiple deaths and injuries and an enormous toll on the lives of its residents.

Also Read: Manipur CM meets Amit Shah, briefs about prevailing situation

On Monday, the Congress party stepped up its attack against the ruling party over its ineffective dealing of the situation in Manipur. “Reports indicate that finally the Home Minister has spoken to Prime Minister Shri Modi on Manipur. For the last 55 days, Modi ji did not say a word on Manipur. Every Indian is waiting for him to speak. If Modi ji is really concerned about Manipur, then the first thing he should do is to sack his Chief Minister,” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said on Monday.

The all-party meeting convened by the Home Minister on Saturday also saw a united Opposition demand the sacking of Biren Singh as Chief Minister. The Opposition parties also demanded that the Centre set a time-frame for resolution of the situation in Manipur and restoration of peace and normalcy in the state.

The BJP has claimed that the Prime Minister has been continuously montiring the situation in Manipur and that steps are being taken by the Centre on the PM’s instructions. “Efforts to restore peace in the state are being taken on the instructions of the PM,” BJP in-charge for Manipur, Sambit Patra, said after the all-party meeting on Saturday.