NEW DELHI: The Congress party has questioned the absence of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh from a key meeting of the ministry of home affairs (MHA) on the ongoing crisis in the Northeast state.
Speaking on the matter, senior Congress leader Pawan Khera raised concerns about the absence of Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh from the crucial MHA review meeting.
Pawan Khera stated that the Manipur chief minister’s absence from the meeting “raises questions about the reasons behind this exclusion”.
Khera asked: “Why wasn’t the Manipur chief minister present (at the meeting)?”
“Is this a kind of no-confidence motion by the central government against its own CM? Discussing the Manipur issue without the CM’s presence raises questions about the reasons behind this exclusion,” stated Khera.
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The meeting focused on the security situation in Manipur, where union home minister Amit Shah stressed the importance of strategically deploying central forces to maintain peace and order.
He assured that the number of central forces in Manipur would be increased if necessary.
An official statement stated that Amit Shah has directed security agencies of initiating strict legal action against those responsible for violence in Manipur.
The review meeting was attended by several key MHA officials, including union home secretary Ajay Bhalla, intelligence bureau (IB) chief Tapan Deka, Army chief General Manoj Pande, Army chief (designate) Lt General Upendra Dwivedi, GoC of III Corps HS Sahi, security advisor to Manipur government Kuldiep Singh, Manipur chief secretary Vineet Joshi, Manipur DGP Rajiv Singh, and Assam Rifles DG Pradeep Chandran Nair.