‘Communal virus has unimaginable consequences,' Kapil Sibal expresses concern on Manipur violence
3 min read . Updated: 23 May 2023, 12:31 PM IST
PremiumFormer Rajya Sabha Member, Kapil Sibal expressed concern about the Manipur violence, and compared communal politics with that of coronavirus. He called the latter one more dangerous
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's three-nation tour enter its last leg as he arrived in Sydney on Sunday. Back at home, former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha faced sharp criticism over his comments on PM Modi's visit to Papua New Guinea. He was targeted by the BJP spokesperson for his comments on PM Modi.
BJP Spokesperson, Shehzad Poonawalla on Monday, wondered if Sinha was the presidential candidate of the opposition parties against Droupadi Murmu.
"Congress wanted him to become President of India! Imagine," tweeted Shehzad Poonawalla along with sharing the screenshot of Yashwant Sinha's tweet.
In his tweet, Sinha proposed his idea of contesting his next Lok Sabha election from Papua New Guinea on the Modi ticket.
"I plan to contest my next Lok Sabha election from Papua New Guinea on a Modi ticket which I hope he will give," he said. The comment comes as PM Modi was in Papua New Guinea on his maiden visit to host a key summit between India and 14 island countries. While hosting an Indian Prime Minister for the first time, the Indo-Pacific country made an exception according to a ceremonial welcome to the leader after sunset. Generally, Papua New Guinea doesn't accord a ceremonial welcome to any leader coming to the nation after sunset.
Papua New Guinea Prime Minister James Marape showed his respect to PM Modi by touching his feet on his arrival. His gesture won applause from Indians on the internet. During his visit, Papua New Guinea conferred the Companion of the Order of Logohu. The honour has been received by very few non-residents of the nation. The award was conferred to him for encouraging the cause of unity of Pacific Island countries and spearheading the cause of the Global South.
In his address, Marape called PM Modi the leader of the Global South. "We are victims of global powerplay... You (PM Modi) are the leader of Global South. We will rally behind your (India) leadership at global forums," said Marape. While addressing the forum, PM Modi said that for him the Pacific island nations are "large ocean countries and not small island states".
"If it (communal virus) spreads, the consequences are unimaginable. Its political dividends are temporary, its scars are permanent!" Sibal added. Kapil Sibal had served as Union minister during the first and second terms of the UPA government. However, the Congress heavyweight left the grand old party in May last year. Later, he was elected as the Rajya Sabha Member with the backing of the Samajwadi Party.
Recently, Kapil Sibal launched a non-electoral platform ‘Insaaf’, which was aimed at fighting injustice. Notably, the opposition has been criticising the government for its violence in Manipur. So far, there have been no casualties reported on Monday's clashes.
Due to the current situation, around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles, jawans are currently deployed in the state. Earlier, clashes had broken out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the hill districts on May 3. The march was taken out to protest against the Meiti community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status.
Another factor that acted as fuel in the Manipur clashes is the tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land. This eviction resulted in a series of smaller agitations.
Notably, Meitis constitute around 53 per cent of Manipur's population and reside mainly in the Imphal Valley. Another major section of the population is of tribals, Nagas and Kukis. The two constitute 40 per cent of the population and live in hill districts. It is worth noting that the ethnic clashes have cost 70 lives till now. To control the situation, around 10,000 army and paramilitary personnel were deployed in the state.