'Too Little, Too Late': Congress on Amit Shah's All-Party Meet On Manipur

Congress has termed the all-party meeting convened by Home Minister Amit Shah on the Manipur situation as "too little, too late,"

Union Home Minister Amit Shah has convened an all-party meeting on June 24 in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur which has witnessed sporadic violence since May 3.

"Well after 50 days of death and destruction in Manipur, HM @AmitShah's call for an all party meeting is too little too late. The government only woke up after Smt. Sonia Gandhi ji's address to the people of Manipur," Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal tweeted.

He questioned the absence of Prime Minister from such a "serious meeting" and criticised him for "unwillingness to confront his failures."

The Congress leader said, "At the outset, the PM's absence from such a serious meeting shows his cowardice and unwillingness to confront his failures. Even when multiple delegations sought meetings with him, he had no time for them. The HM himself has presided over this situation and made no progress, in fact things have worsened since his visit. Can we expect genuine peace under his stewardship?"

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is on a three-day "official state visit" to the United States.

Moreover, the continuation of the partisan state government and non-implementation of the President's rule is a travesty, the Congress leader added.

Vengopal stated, "Any effort for peace must take place in Manipur, where the warring communities are brought on the discussion table and a political solution is arrived at. This effort will lack seriousness if it is done sitting in Delhi. The entire nation expects a serious intervention from the Union Government, which has been missing in action so far."

Late on Wednesday evening, a home ministry spokesperson tweeted, "Union Home Minister Shri @AmitShah has convened an all party meeting on 24th June at 3 PM in New Delhi to discuss the situation in Manipur," The announcement came after Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma met the Home Minister, last evening.

Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

So far, nearly 120 people have lost their lives and over 3,000 are injured.