Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday wrote to Opposition leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury And Mallikarjun Kharge in a bid to resolve the logjam in Parliament over the Manipur situation.
Since the beginning of the Monsoon Session of the Parliament last week, the Opposition has pressed its demand for Prime Minister Narendra Modi to make a statement in the Parliament on the Manipur situation. The government has previously said that it's open to the discussion and that Shah will reply to the debate, but the Opposition has been firm on the demand for Modi's statement.
Manipur has been in the grips of ethnic violence between the state's Meitei and tribal communities since May 3. Over 160 have been killed and several thousands have been displaced. It was only last week that Modi made first remarks on the situation in the state after a video of two tribal women being paraded naked and groped went viral and caused nationwide outrage. For several weeks, the Opposition has slammed Modi's silence on the issue.
Sharing the letter, written in Hindi, Shah said on Twitter that the government is willing to have a discussion on Manipur. He said he is appealing to Chowdhury and Kharge for "for their invaluable cooperation in the discussion of the Manipur issue".
"The government is ready to discuss the issue of Manipur and seeks cooperation from all the parties, rising above party lines. I hope that all the parties will cooperate in resolving this important issue," said Shah.
In the letter to Chowdhury, Shah said that all the parties should rise above the party lines and stand with the people of Manipur.
He said, "Due t some judicial decisions and other developments, incidents of violence happened in the beginning of May. Some shameful incidents have also come to light after which the people of entire country, the people of the Northeast, and particularly the people of Manipur expect that that all the parties would stand with the people of Manipur irrespective of the party line."
Shah also said that the government is not just willing to give a statement, but is also ready for a full discussion. However, the cooperation of all the parties is required for that, said Shah. In near-identical letters to Chowdhury and Kharge, Shah hailed the Indian democratic and parliamentary traditions and sought their support in having a discussion on Manipur.
"Through you, I request all the political parties to come forward for the discussion in a good environment. I urge you, all MPs, and political parties to rise above party lines to come together for keeping up the holy stature of Lok Sabha and to support its continuous functioning," said Shah.
