Rajnath appeals Meitei, Kuki for peace talks in Manipur
Manipur has been witnessing deadly violence since May because of hostilities between Meiteis and Kukis
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday made a fervent appeal to the warring Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur to sit together and hold a “heart-to-heart” conversation to end their “trust deficit”, in what is seen as a fresh attempt by the Centre to bring peace to the troubled state.
In an address at an election rally in this southern-most tip of Mizoram bordering Myanmar, Singh said violence is no solution to any problem and the two communities in Manipur must talk to each other to improve the situation in the state.
“The Northeast has been peaceful in the last nine years. Insurgency has ended in every state. However, we have witnessed unfortunate incidents of violence in Manipur this year and it is painful for us,” he said.
“Violence is no solution to any problem. What we need is heart-to-heart conversation. I appeal to both the communities (Meitei and Kuki) to sit together and end trust deficit,” Singh added.
Manipur has been witnessing deadly violence since May because of hostilities between Meiteis and Kukis that has left over 180 people dead and hundreds wounded or displaced.
“I want to categorically say that it (violence) did not take place because of any political party. It happened because of certain situations,” the senior BJP leader said. He also accused the Congress of trying to exploit the situation in Manipur for political gain.
“When the situation in Manipur was deteriorating, Congress tried its best to do politics over it,” Singh said.
“There is a need to keep the entire country including Mizoram and the Northeast away from the negative politics of Congress,” he added.
He said the Narendra Modi government “believes that unless Northeast is truly developed, the dream of a
strong, prosperous and self-reliant India will not be fulfilled”.
In his address, Singh said an operation to ensure a drug-free Mizoram will be rolled out if the BJP comes to power in the state.
He also referred to use of the Air Force in Mizoram by the Congress government in the Centre in 1966
