Centre ready to step in if CM fails to solve Manipur crisis: sources

Guwahati: After writing a hard-hitting letter to the Manipur Chief Minister, the ministry of home affairs on Friday rushed union minister of state home Kiren Rijiju to Manipur to review the law and order situation there.

The union home minister has taken serious note of Manipur chief minister’s remarks accusing him of asking to release United Naga Council leaders. Authoritative security sources in the home ministry told this newspaper that Rajnath Singh had never asked or advised Manipur CM to release UNC leaders.

Kiren Rijiju was asked to convey a very strong message to the state government to end the deadlock at the earliest. Security sources said that Centre was also prepared to step in if chief minister continues to do dilly-dallying with the law and order issues. Security sources did not rule out the possibility of home ministry exercising its power of imposing President’s rule in the state.

Asserting that from the day the problem started, there were 60 companies of paramilitary forces at the disposal of the state government, security sources said that additional 14 more companies of paramilitary forces were rushed to the state but they were not deployed judiciously to check the outbreak of violence in the state.

Security sources said that creation of a new district has been a 40-years old demand of Manipur hills but chief minister chose to revive this controversial issue knowing very well that Naga people would not take it kindly. “The decision was aimed at to provoke the Naga community,” sources in the home ministry said.

Indicating that union minister Mr Rijiju has been sent to convey the message of the home ministry to the state, security sources said that law and order has always been the state subject be it national highways or railways.

Security sources said that home ministry was of view that entire situation was precipitated by the chief minister who wanted to polarize a particular community of valley against the people living in the hills in the run up to the assembly elections next year.

Meanwhile, Mr Rijiju who met Manipur chief minister O Ibobi Singh on Friday at Imphal told reporters, “This is a humanitarian crisis. We want that the Manipur government end the blockade as early as possible. Whatever assistance from the central government is required, we will give.”

He also clarified, “There is a constitutional duty of the state government to bring back normalcy and they should ensure that there is no blockade along the highway.”