Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday claimed that Manipur’s days of blockades and bandhs were over after the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in the state. The senior BJP leader made the remarks during a visit to the state capital Imphal, where he unveiled seven state developmental projects worth almost Rs 3,000 crore.
“Manipur was earlier known for insurgency, blockades and bandhs,” Shah said, during his address at the Hapta Kangjeibung ground in Imphal. “But in the last three years, we have not seen any bandh. I would like to congratulate Chief Minister of Manipur Shri N Biren Singhji for his tireless efforts to ensure peace and progress in the state.”
Shah is on a two-day visit to the North East, which started in Assam on Saturday. Earlier on Sunday, he left for Manipur after praying at the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.
The Union home minister also spoke about the Inner Line Permit, a document that non-native travellers need before entering places defined as “protected areas”. The permit regime is currently in place in Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur and Nagaland.
“Without even asking the indigenous people Modiji did justice to the people by granting inner line permit to Manipur,” Shah said, according to NDTV. “This is how we protected the indigenous communities of Manipur.”
The Union home minister also referred to Manipur’s civil society groups, which have expressed concern over calls to unify areas occupied by Naga tribes. These groups have cautioned that any accord with the Nagas should steer clear of threats to Manipur’s territory.
“I see the various demands of the civil society groups,” Shah said, reported NDTV. “One request to them is to also include demands relating to development of Manipur.”
The North East was known for separatism and violence, Shah said, adding that in the last six years “almost all armed groups have laid down arms one after the other”, according to The Indian Express. “Violence has subsided,” the Union home minister said. “I hope that the remainder of the armed groups will shun violence and join the mainstream.”
Among the seven projects that Shah inaugurated in Manipur are the Rs 2,000 crore worth Thoubal multipurpose project, the Rs128 crore IIIT, and the Rs 325 crore Churachandpur Medical College.
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