Aizawl: Senior Congress leader Mathew Anthony on Saturday said that separate administration will be the right solution to end the ongoing violence in neighbouring Manipur.
The ethnic violence between majority Meiteis, which dominated the valley, and minority tribal of the Kuki-Mizo-Hmar-Zomi communities, who occupy the hill areas, which began on May 3 has left a trail of destruction resulting in the death of over 70 people and burning of thousands of houses and worship places.
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The ethnic violence has also displaced and rendered thousands of people homeless.
“In my personal opinion and not as Congress leader, granting separate administration to the tribal in Manipur is the only solution to end violence and restore peace in the state,” Anthony told a news conference in Aizawl.
He said that a separate administrative mechanism for the tribal people is absolutely his personal view and not the Congress party as a whole.
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He blamed Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for allegedly not paying sincere importance to quell the ethnic violence and restore normalcy in Manipur.
“Do the Prime Minister and the Home Minister have the time to come and stay in Manipur to make a call for peace when things are going wrong. When they have time for seven days to campaign in Karnataka but they don’t have even a single day to come to Manipur to arrest violence and restore peace,” the Congress leader said.
Earlier on Thursday, Union Minister of State for Home Nityanand Rai had said that Shah will visit violence-hit Manipur on May 29.
Shah would talk with people at different places and listen to their views and opinions to end the ongoing ethnic crisis and deliver justice to all, Rai had also said.
The Kuki tribal in Manipur has been demanding a complete separate administrative mechanism not less than Union Territory (UT) since violence broke out in different parts of the state after a tribal solidarity march on May 3.
Earlier this month, 10 Kuki MLAs, including 7 from BJP, had also urged the Centre to create a separate administration for the tribal people.
The MLAs had alleged that their people could no longer exist under Manipur as the hatred against the tribal community reached such a height that MLAs, ministers, pastors, police and civil officers, laymen , women and even children were not spared.
Several Meitei organisations have opposed the demand.
Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh had earlier said that the state would not be separated and appealed to the people to uphold its territorial integrity.