'Manipur Is BJP-Ruled State So...': Mamata Banerjee Blames Saffron Party For 'Man-Made' Violence

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee trained guns against the BJP-led Centre saying “they send central teams if anything happens in Bengal but since Manipur is BJP-ruled state, nothing is being done.

Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee held press conference today where she spoke about violence in Manipur

Source : PTI

Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party government for the “man-made” violence in Manipur and alleged that the government was not giving a clear picture on the death toll in the violence-hit state. Ethnic clashes broke out in the northeastern state on Wednesday after tribals organised a demonstration in the ten hill districts of the state to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. 

Addressing a press conference, the Bengal CM trained guns against the BJP-led Centre saying “they send central teams if anything happens in Bengal but since Manipur is BJP-ruled state, nothing is being done. But people want to know the figures.” 

“Manipur is burning. We don’t know how many people have died in shootouts. The figure is not provided by the government. I won’t bring politics here, but people want to know how many died. If anything happens here(West Bengal), they send central teams and defend their decision by giving lots of explanations,” she added. 

The clashes have so far displaced around 23,000 people and resulted in the deaths of at least 54 people.

“What is the priority?” she asked, adding “I can certainly say elections will come and go. Political parties have so many leaders and chief ministers, so it is very easy to go for election campaigning. But they should visit Manipur first.” 

“Earlier there were some problems but the north east is burning now.” 

She also appealed to the voters of Karnataka to vote for “stability and development” and appealed not to vote for BJP as “they are dangerous.” 

Bengal Govt Evacuates 18 Students From Manipur

18 students from Bengal, pursuing BSc, MSc and PhD courses at the Central Agricultural University in Imphal were brought back to Kolkata on Monday, said Banerjee, reported PTI. After distress calls were received at the control room set up in state secretariat Nabanna, the rescue operation was started, she added.

The students were rescued on a special flight arranged by the state government which landed at 10:15 am this morning and the expenses were borne by the government, she said. 

"Our officers received them at Kolkata airport special desk, and arranged their further onward journey from Kolkata to their residences," she tweeted.