An organisation linked to West Bengal's ruling TMC on Monday took out a rally here to protest against the violence in Manipur and blamed the BJP-led governments in the northeastern state and at the Centre for the ethnic conflict.
The protest rally was organised by Trinamool Jai Hind Bahini - a socio-political outfit formed by TMC supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in 2019. Activists of the organisation started the rally from Hazra crossing and reached Rabindra Sadan, covering a distance of around 5 km in the southern part of the city.
Senior TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim along with several other leaders were seen taking part in the protest march. "The BJP governments in the state and at the Centre are responsible for the ongoing crisis in Manipur. The BJP is trying to destroy the harmony among religious and ethnic groups. It should be ashamed for pursuing such divisive politics, and should apologise before the people of this nation," Hakim said.
The Trinamool Congress has been alleging that the "divisive" policies of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Manipur led to the ethnic strife in the northeastern state. Holding posters and placards against the BJP aloft, the TMC activists shouted slogans against the saffron camp.
Reacting to the protest, BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said the TMC should first hold a rally against the "ongoing atrocities on women" in the state. "They are organising rallies against the Manipur violence to divert attention. Why are they silent on atrocities against women in West Bengal? It is a regular affair in Bengal as the law and order completely collapsed in the state," he alleged.
Tension mounted in the hills of Manipur after a May 4 video surfaced last week, showing two women from one of the warring communities in the northeastern state being paraded naked by a mob from the other side. The Manipur Police have so far arrested six people in connection with the incident.
More than 160 people have lost their lives and several were injured since ethnic violence broke out in the state on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
