PM Modi, Amit Shah must own responsibility for Manipur violence: Kanimozhi

CHENNAI: Not content with the resignation of Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh after racially motivated violence for over a year and half shattered peace in the state, DMK parliamentary party leader Kanimozhi Karunanidhi on Monday insisted that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home Minister Amit Shah must own responsibility for failing to quell the violence in the north eastern state and for protecting Biren Singh who instigated the violence there.

Holding Biren Singh responsible for “instigating mob violence and loss of innumerable human lives” in Manipur, Kanimozhi said that witnesses before the Supreme Court have revealed that the chief minister, who had the responsibility to control the violence in Manipur, instigated and organised mob violence there.

Stating that Biren Singh was under compulsion to demit office after audio recordings of his hate speech against minorities surfaced and its veracity was established, the DMK Parliamentary party leader said that the pressure exerted by the allies of the BJP and the Congress among the opposition parties contributed to the resignation of Biren Singh from the office of chief minister.

“Manipur is proof of the BJP’s fascist politics of dividing people and ruling on their death. Not only Biren Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home Minister Amit Shah must also own responsibility for protecting Biren Singh and failing to control the violence there,” she said.

Alleging that the request of the opposition parties to sack Biren Singh and intervention of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and union home Minister Amit Shah to restore normalcy in Manipur were ignored since the outbreak of violence there, Kanimozhi said that the people of Manipur were subjected to enormous tragedy and the situation seems not to have improved there even today.

Pointing out that over 220 people were killed and 60,000 people were internally displaced due to the racial violence in Manipur, Kanimozhi said that the People were kidnapped from the relief shelters of the government and killed and Women were subjected to sexual violence.

“The atrocities were committed with the support and indifference of the government. However, the BJP led union government and Manipur chief minister Biren Singh continued to remain spectators,” she remarked.

“Whoever takes over as the next chief minister of the state must ensure that peace is restored in Manipur. The BJP regime must at least mend its ways now, and make attempts to restore peace for the people of Manipur,” the DMK deputy general secretary said, demanding the constitution of an impartial and independent commission to inquire into the incidents that happened and are happening in Manipur.