To take stock of the situation in Manipur, NEDA convenor and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the violence-hit state on Saturday.
During his visit, he also met Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh and the other BJP leaders along with some Civil Society organisations.
“My visit is a goodwill gesture. I should have come earlier. This is my first visit. I need to understand the situation more. I discussed things with CM N Biren Singh, his cabinet, and MLA. Have met representatives of social organisations. Shall report my observations to the Union Home Minister," said Himanta Sarma during the visit.
While there were speculations that Sarma might meet Kuki leaders amid the ongoing conflict in Manipur, the NEDA convenor stated that he could not meet the KUKI MLAs.
“Could not meet the representatives of the Kuki community. When the need arises I shall meet them too," he added.
Speaking about the meeting with Sarma, Khiraijam Athouba, assistant Coordinator of the Coordination Committee on Manipur Integrity (COCOMI) said, “We didn’t press much on him. We only acknowledged what he expressed. We stated that the sooner the better it is to restore normalcy and peace so that further violent killings in the state can stop immediately. We urged him to appeal to both sides to restore normalcy in the state. He is a very influential chief minister maybe he has a role to play."
“We met the NEDA chief, CM Assam Himanta Biswa Sarma. We discussed restoring peace in the state. There are as of now no questions of leadership change, at this point PEACE is our utmost priority,” Manipur BJP President A Sarda Devi said.
Manipur has not reported any fresh violence for over 24 hours but after the killing of three Kuki people in Khoken village on Friday, the committee of tribals unity, Sadar Hils announced a blockade of NH-2, also called the lifeline of Manipur.
The blockade on NH-2 was lifted on June 5 in response to appeals by Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Manipur CM N Biren Singh. They requested the protesting organisations to clear the route so that relief materials including food items can reach Manipur.
For the unversed, NH 2 connects Guwahati to Manipur through Nagaland. It is a major route for the transportation of goods to the state.