The Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) has suggested that the Centre lead an all-party delegation to Manipur for making a field visit and taking stock of the situation first hand so that more constructive suggestions could be made to resolve the issue following the recent clashes between the Kukis and Meiteis.
Senior leader of BRS and Vice-Chairman of the State Planning Board B. Vinod Kumar represented the party at an all-party meeting convened by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in New Delhi on Saturday. Irrespective of reasons, an atmosphere of friction had been prevailing in Manipur since 1990s.
However, Meiteis denabd their inclusion in the Scheduled Tribes list even in the hilly areas, where mostly Kukis and Nagas reside. Plains were mostly occupied by the Meiteis. He observed that the recent judgment of the Manipur High Court for inclusion of Meiteis in the ST list within four weeks was unconstitutional as only Parliament holds the right to include any community in ST list.
Mr. Vinod Kumar felt that at least the Supreme Court should have intervened in the matter and a stay on the High Court verdict could have avoided most of the violent incidents. He expressed concern over the reports that Meiteis had taken away about 4,000 arms from armed forces and there was a need to recover them to prevent further escalation in the situation.
He felt that banning internet facility for 50 days was uncalled for as it would affect various services including the studies of students and suggested that the Centre restore internet facility at the earliest. Mr. Vinod Kumar also felt the need for Prime Minister’s response to the Manipur incidents as an assurance would placate the situation.
