PM Modi says efforts being taken to restore peace in Manipur
Narendra Modi broke his «silence» on the situation in Manipur, which has been on the boil since May 3 last year, when he asserted in Rajya Sabha on Wednesday during the reply on motion of thanks to the President's address that all efforts were being taken to restore peace and welcomed suggestions and help from all quarters in this regard. He also appealed to the Opposition to rise above party politics and warned those «adding fuel to the fire».
In his reply that lasted a little over 100 minutes, the PM also spoke on the NEET paper leak, assuring the youth that their future will not be jeopardised and those guilty would not be spared. Modi also took jibes at the Opposition which staged a walkout 30 minutes into his speech as the Chair did not heed to its demand for an intervention by Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, leaving the floor open for the PM to have his say uninterrupted.
Unlike in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, Modi finally heeded to the Opposition criticism that he skipped the Manipur ethnic crisis in his speeches both during the election campaign and in his public utterances since he assumed office for the third consecutive term.
«I had spoken at length about Manipur in the last session (February) but want to reiterate my views here. The government is making constant efforts to resolve the issues in Manipur ...11,000 FIRs have been registered so far and more than 500 people have been arrested… Cases of violence in Manipur are continuously declining. That means it is now possible to hope for peace.
