Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, accompanied by his ministerial colleagues and MLAs, on Sunday left for Delhi, where he would meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and other central leaders to discuss the prevailing situation of the state, devastated in the recent ethnic violence.
Sources close to both the government and the ruling BJP said that the Chief Minister, other ministers and state leaders were supposed to go to Delhi immediately after the ethnic violence broke out on May 3, but the Prime Minister, Home Minister, other central leaders were busy with the Karnataka Assembly elections, leading to the meetings being put off.
Power, Forest and Agriculture Minister Biswajit Singh, who is as second in command to Biren Singh, and state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi also accompanied the Chief Minister.
According to the source, the issue of the ongoing Suspension of Operation (SoO) with the Kuki militant outfits of the state is also likely to be discussed besides the ethnic violence and subsequent developments.
The Chief Minister's visit to the national capital assumes significance as the 10 tribal MLAs belonging to the Chin-Kuki-Mizo-Zomi groups indirectly demanded a "separate state" for the tribals on Friday in the wake of recent violent clashes between the non-tribal Meiteis and the tribals.
Of the 10 MLAs, five belong to the BJP, two each from Janata Dal-United and Kuki People's Alliance (KPA) and one is an Independent. The Janata Dal-United, the KPA and the independent MLAs are also part of the BJP led alliance government in Manipur.
Claiming the lives of around 70 people and injuring a few hundred, ethnic violence, clashes, rampant arsoning, indiscriminate vandalisation, random destruction of government and private properties broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised in the 10 hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.
The violence was preceded by tension and protests over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land and destruction of poppy cultivation, which had led to a series of agitations in local level.
The non-tribal Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Valley areas while the tribals belonging to Naga and Kuki communities constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.
Manipur government's security advisor Kuldiep Singh said that since May 3, 71 people have died, among which 41 fell prey to the ethnic violence, while others died due to various other causes, including drug overdoses.
He said a total of 339 cases of attack and arsoning have been registered.
U'khand avalanche: 4 killed, 50 rescued; CM Dhami oversees rescue ops
Uttarakhand Chief Minister Dhami received latest updates on the rescue operations from Disaster Management and Rehabilitation Secretary Vinod Kumar Suman and District Magistrate of Chamoli, Sandeep Tiwari, late in the evening.
Tripura CM urges Centre to start international flight from Agartala airport
Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha on Saturday said that he has requested the Central government to start international flight services from Agartala’s Maharaja Bir Bikram (MBB) airport at the earliest.
NE India’s first artificial limbs manufacturing centre to come up in Tripura: CM Saha
Northeast India’s first production centre of the Artificial Limbs Manufacturing Corporation of India (ALIMCO) would be set up in Tripura, Chief Minister Manik Saha said on Saturday after laying the foundation stone of the proposed centre at Purba Laxmibill in Sepahijala District.
People-centric policies turned India into most aspirational nation in the world: V-P Dhankhar
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Saturday said India at the moment is in an economic upsurge with phenomenal infrastructural growth, deep digitisation, and technological penetration because people of the country have tasted the fruits of development in the last decade.
Regional satraps operate through two doors: Congress leader's remarks set to stir fresh row
Amid the ongoing rift in INDIA Bloc partners, a Congress leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir on Saturday made a fresh remark which may stir controversy. He said that in some states, regional parties tend to operate through two doors.
Russia says Zelensky's Washington visit 'complete political and diplomatic failure'
Russia on Saturday termed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's visit to the United States as a "complete political and diplomatic failure" of the Kyiv regime.
BSF hands over Bangladeshi smuggler's body to BGB
The body of the Bangladeshi smuggler, who was killed during a clash with the Border Security Force (BSF) in Tripura’s Sepahijala District on Friday, was handed over to Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) on Saturday, officials said.
GST collections surge 9.1 pc YoY to Rs 1.84 lakh crore in Feb
India’s Goods and Services Tax (GST) collections in February grew by 9.1 per cent (year-on-year), reaching approximately Rs 1.84 lakh crore, according to official data released on Saturday.