Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has alleged that the ethnic conflicts in Manipur have their “genesis in faulty politics” of previous Congress governments in the state. He also accused the Congress of displaying “duplicity” in its interest in Manipur now, compared to when its leaders “didn’t even utter a word” during the northeastern state’s turmoil under the grand old party’s regimes at the state and Centre.
Sarma wrote in a series of tweets on Saturday, “The pain arising from multi-ethnic conflicts in Manipur has its genesis in faulty policies of Congress governments during the formative years of the state. Repairing fault lines created by 7 decades of misgovernance will take time.”
He claimed that since 2014, there has been a “tremendous healing of Manipur’s social fabric” and that the “process of resolving decades-old ethnic conflicts will be completed in totality under the leadership of Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji.”
Hitting out at the grand old party, he wrote, “Cong is suddenly displaying immense interest in Manipur. It’s important to rewind a bit and look at PM Manmohan Singh’s own response to similar crises in the state. The party’s duplicity is simply alarming.”
He claimed that Manipur had become the “blockade capital” during UPA’s tenure, and between 2010-2017, when Congress ruled the state, there were blockades ranging from 30 days a year to up to 139 days a year. In 2011, “one of the worst blockades” was imposed in Manipur, lasting more than 120 days. Sarma expressed dismay that during those 123 days when Manipur was burning, the then prime minister and UPA chairperson didn’t utter a word and was instead occupied with bailing out private companies, leading to a complete humanitarian crisis with soaring petrol and LPG cylinder prices.
He highlighted that during 2004-2014, when Congress was ruling the nation and the state, more than 991 civilians and security personnel were killed in Manipur. Since May 2014, that tragic statistic has reduced by 80 per cent.
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Economic blockades were imposed by rival Kuki and Naga outfits in support of their demands, causing the landlocked state to suffer due to the disruption of the main supply chain.
Manipur has been witnessing an ethnic conflict between Meiteis and Kukis since May 3, when violence broke out during a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ organized in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. The violence has resulted in over 160 deaths and several injuries. Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill areas.
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