Amit Shah fires back at Kharge's 'White Paper' demand, says "political sallies cannot heal Manipur"

After Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanded an inquiry into Manipur violence and asked the Centre to table a White Paper in the House, Home Minister Amit Shah launched a scathing attack at the party stating that the political sallies of the opposition cannot heal wounds of those marred by violence in the state. 

Speaking in Rajya Sabha, Amit Shah clarified the Centre’s decision to impose President’s Rule, stating that the move was not politically motivated, unlike previous Congress-led governments. "We did not impose the President's Rule in Manipur to fall the government, like the Congress used to do... On February 11, the Chief Minister resigned, and it was claimed that it was because the Congress was going to bring the No Confidence Motion," he noted.

He dismissed the claim, stating that the Congress lacked the numbers to bring such a motion. “After the resignation, no party proposed a government, and in that situation, it was decided that a President’s Rule would be imposed,” Shah explained.

The home minister also pointed out that the situation in Manipur had stabilised in recent months, informing that there has been no violence for months before the resignation and till today. He cautioned against what he called the "myth" that the Centre had failed to manage the crisis. "A myth should not be created that the President's Rule was imposed because we were unable to handle the situation."

Comparing past and present governance in the state, Shah took a swipe at the Congress, saying, “Seven years ago, the Congress government was there in Manipur... There was a curfew for 225 days a year...1500 people were killed in encounters...”

He also differentiated between various forms of internal conflict. “There is a difference between racial violence and naxalism, and the ways to tackle both of them are different... Violence between two communities is different from the violence against the state,” he said.

Earlier, speaking in the Rajya Sabha, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge demanded an inquiry into Manipur violence and asked the central government to table a White Paper in the House.

"For two years Manipur has been burning, and the government has failed in stopping the violence. More than 260 people have died, and over 60,000 have been displaced. Families have been torn apart, yet the BJP watched it in silence. Manipur's economy has collapsed. GST collections have fallen. The state saw the horrifying situation," Kharge said in Rajya Sabha.

He further said that the then Manipur Chief Minister Biren Singh should have taken the morale responsibility and should have resigned on the first day of the violence.

"The BJP is working to save Prime Minister Narendra Modi but not Manipur. The Prime Minister refused to go there. What is the reason that PM Modi did not visit Manipur? Entire Manipur was burning in spite of that, but Modiji did not go there. He might have gone to a number of foreign countries during that time, but he did not step in Manipur. Rahul Gandhi visited Manipur and met the victims. Supreme Court judges and NGOs visited Manipur, but the Prime Minister did not. Unko fursat nhi haina bhai," he added.

The Congress chief further claimed that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has no plans to bring peace to Manipur.

"What are you doing here, please bring the peace here (Manipur). The Prime Minister has time for election rallies but not for Manipur. He failed to bring peace. Therefore, I demand an inquiry and also to let them put a white paper on the table. So who is responsible for that? Everyone will know what is going on in Manipur. When people were crying in Manipur for food, you never responded," he said.

Mallikarjun Kharge urged the Prime Minister to visit Manipur at the earliest and resolve the law and order situation there.