Imphal, Jan 9: Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Wednesday termed the ongoing ethnic violence in the state as “very unfortunate” and asserted that his government is not at fault since it all started after the Meiteis demanded Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Addressing a gathering of internally displaced persons at the CM secretariat, Singh said no politics should be played when the state is witnessing a human crisis.
Recalling the violence that started on May 3, 2023, the CM said, “The incident was very unfortunate. The cause of the conflict was the demand for ST status by the Meiteis. Everybody has been criticising the state government as if we had made a mistake.
“The reality, however, is that the Manipur High Court had asked the state government to reply to the demand for ST status by the Meiteis. Opposing it, a rally was held, and houses belonging to Meiteis were attacked. That’s how the conflict began.”
On March 27, 2023, Manipur High Court Acting Chief Justice MV Muralidaran had ordered the state government to submit recommendations to the central govt to “consider inclusion of the Meetei/Meitei community in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list”.
This was strongly opposed by the tribal bodies of the state and on May 3, a rally was taken out by All Tribal Students’ Union Manipur in the hill districts. The rally turned violent after a mob from Churachandpur district stormed a locality and engaged in vandalism and arson.
The CM claimed that many have been playing politics over the issue.
“However, it is the state government that has been working to meet all the needs of those in the relief camps, including their education, daily provisions, health, and others… We are witnessing a human crisis, and no politics should be played,” he said.
“The mindset needs to change. There is a conflict going on, and many have been killed and displaced. Now is not the time to seek popularity in social media and TV discussions. Let the genuine subject experts and security forces speak on the conflict,” Singh remarked.
Alleging that indulging in narrow politics and committing mistakes by “previous leaders” have caused the hardships, the CM said, “We need to take risks and sacrifices to save the land and society. Politics is not for winning elections only.”
The relationship between police and people improved after the BJP government came to power, the chief minister said, claiming that earlier, everyone had a fear psychosis towards police.
The northeastern state is in the grip of ethnic clashes between Meitei and Kuki communities, which left over 250 people killed and thousands homeless since May 3 of 2023.
During the programme, Singh distributed benefits to labour card holders under the special scheme for providing financial assistance for the education of children of labour cardholders staying at relief camps.
In a post on X, Singh said, “This scheme supports displaced families by ensuring uninterrupted education for their children through financial aid, maternity benefits, medical reimbursement, pension schemes, and more. A total of Rs 2,89,55,000 was disbursed via DBT and cash payments today. Our Government is committed to providing undeterred access to education for all children in the state including the ones (PTI)
