Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Appeals For Peace In Manipur After Amit Shah's Request

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appealed for peace in strife-torn Manipur on behalf of the whole House.

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla appealed for peace in Manipur on behalf of the whole House ( Image Source :PTI )

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Wednesday appealed on behalf of the whole House for peace in Manipur. His remarks came after Union Home Minister Amit Shah appealed for peace in the strife-torn state on behalf of the government. On Wednesday, Shah addressed the situation in Manipur as he replied to the no-confidence motion tabled by the Opposition in Lok Sabha. However, Leader of Opposition, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that they wanted a word in the Parliament but in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. 

“I, on behalf of (the) whole house, appeal for peace in Manipur,” said the Lok Sabha speaker. 

Responding to the Opposition’s demand for a President’s Rule in Manipur under Article 356, Shah said a sitting chief minister can be changed only when he is not cooperating with the Centre.

Addressing the Lok Sabha during the debate on the Opposition’s motion of no-confidence against the Centre, the Union Home Minister said, “Only when a CM stops cooperating with the Centre, could he be changed. The present (Manipur) CM (N Biren Singh) has been cooperating with us.”

Slamming the Opposition over the Manipur issue, Amit Shah said the government is pained by the situation in the strife-torn state, but it is shameful to politicise violence.

“I agree with the opposition's claim that there has been excessive violence in Manipur. In fact, we are more hurt than them (opposition). Such incidents have happened there that we should be ashamed as a society. However, while the incidents are shameful, doing politics on it is even more shameful,” the Union Home Minister said.

At least 160 people have been reported dead in the strife which began on May 3 after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised by the tribals in hill districts to oppose Meitei reservation in the Scheduled Tribes (ST) list. 

Tensions flared up after a video of two tribal women being paraded naked in Kangpokpi district on May 4, surfaced on social media last month.