mizzima.com/AFP-Aug 10
The Indian Minister of Home Affairs, Amit Shah, blamed trouble in India’s Manipur State on thousands of tribal refugees fleeing a crackdown in neighboring military-ruled Myanmar and an influx of narcotics. At least 152 people have been killed in Manipur since May, Shah told parliament, with armed clashes breaking out between the predominantly Hindu Meitei majority and the mainly Christian Kuki community. The state has fractured on ethnic lines, with rival militias setting up blockades to keep out members of the opposing community. Blaming the unrest on the influx of Myanmar refugees Shah said: “The sudden increase in [Kuki] population created insecurity within the Meitei community. Rumors began circulating… resulting in unrest. Thereafter, clashes erupted, leading to the current situation.” The comments were made to rebuff comments made by India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi who accused the government of having “broken” Manipur “into two parts”. Gandhi condemned Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s inaction over deadly ethnic conflict in the country’s northeast on Wednesday, in his first parliamentary speech since his defamation conviction was suspended. Modi’s administration is being forced this week to defend its conduct over months of violence in Manipur state that has killed more than 150 people. Gandhi’s fiery address to the chamber was part of a no-confidence debate demanding the government’s resignation for letting the unrest fester for months. Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is regularly accused by political opponents of fomenting divisions for electoral purposes, and India will hold general elections early next year.The ruling BJP has a large majority in the 543-member lower house, and is expected to comfortably defeat the no-confidence vote, which it has dismissed as a headline-grabbing gimmick. Read more at: https://www.mizzima.com/article/indian-minister-home-affairs-blames-manipur-violence-myanmar-refugees
