New Delhi: The BJP on Thursday slammed the Congress over its “too little, too late” remark on Union Home Minister Amit Shah convening an all-party meeting to discuss the Manipur situation, alleging that the opposition party is creating grounds to boycott the meeting to avoid its “accountability” and to keep the pot boiling.
The violence in Manipur is a “legacy” of the Congress as the seeds of ethnic conflict were sown when the grand-old party was in power, both in the Centre and the state, the BJP’s IT department head Amit Malviya alleged.
“The Congress first demanded an all-party meeting and now, when one has been announced, it is creating grounds to boycott it just two days ahead of the meet. It is obvious that the Congress‘ intent is not to find a solution, avoid accountability and keep the pot boiling,” the BJP leader claimed in a long Twitter post.
The Congress is adept at shifting goalposts so that the “spectre of conflict drags on”, he added.
The BJP’s reaction came after the Congress termed the all-party meeting convened by Shah on the Manipur situation as “too little, too late,” and said efforts to bring the warring factions on the discussion table would lack seriousness if they were done sitting in Delhi.
In a tweet, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi said it is clear that the all-party meeting is not important for the prime minister as it is being held at a time when he is not there.
Modi is on his first State Visit to the United States from June 21-24.
Hitting back, Malviya alleged, “The violence in Manipur is a legacy of the Congress party, which thrives on chaos and conflict. The seeds of ethnic conflict we are witnessing today were sown when the Congress was in power, both in the Centre and state, in the 1990s and decades after.”
“Do we even need to remind the Congress how Churachandpur in Manipur burnt between 2015-17 following protests against the Okram Ibobi Singh Govt?” the BJP leader asked.
Malviya said the prevailing situation in Manipur has emerged as a result of a judicial pronouncement and not because of anything that the government “may have done”.
“It is disappointing to see the Congress working to widen the fault lines. But, then the Congress is a past master at politicising sensitive issues,” he charged.
The behaviour of the Opposition, the Congress in particular, is irresponsible, unfortunate and most certainly against the interest of the nation as they are using the conflict in Manipur to further their “nefarious political agenda”, the BJP leader alleged.
Malviya claimed that the entire northeast has experienced “peace and prosperity” since 2014 due to “untiring efforts” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has emphasised on “all round development of the region”.
“As always, when the world is looking at India with new enthusiasm and optimism, the Congress wants to internationalise a domestic issue. This tendency of the Congress party to lean on foreign media and money is disconcerting,” the BJP leader charged.
“We expect the Congress to be a more responsible Opposition and contribute in resolving the current situation in Manipur,” he added.
