Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has said that the situation in conflict-torn Manipur is “fast improving” and will further improve in the next week or 10 days.
He slammed the Congress for “crying” about the situation in Manipur when relative peace has been established, but was silent during the peak of the ethnic conflict.
Sarma said that the Home Ministry and the Manipur government are “silently working” to improve the situation in the state. He “guaranteed” that the situation is better than what it was a month back.
Union Minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar also took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s Manipur visit, saying that he engages in what he called “vulture tourism”. Chandrasekhar accused Gandhi of visiting places where people are suffering instead of actively addressing the long-standing issues in those societies.
Gandhi, after meeting Manipur Governor Anusuiya Uikey at Raj Bhavan yesterday, reiterated that his party will extend full cooperation to bring peace and tranquillity to the state.
At least 100 people have been killed and more than 40,000 have fled their homes since clashes broke out in Manipur in early May between Kukis, who mostly live in the hills, and Meiteis, the dominant community in the lowlands, over the latter’s demand for inclusion in the Scheduled Tribe list.
Sporadic incidents of violence and arson still occur despite the heavy presence of security forces in parts of the remote state, which borders Myanmar.