Should Army open fire?: Assam Chief Minister slams Rahul over Manipur remark
Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma criticised Rahul Gandhi's suggestion of Army intervention in Manipur, and said that a lasting solution should come from the heart, not force.
Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for his suggestion that Army intervention could control the "nonsense" in Manipur. Sarma asked if Rahul wanted the Army to "open fire on civilians".
Talking to the media, Sarma said, "Is this his prescription? How can he say that? The Army will not be able to solve anything. They will only be able to quieten the situation and provide temporary peace."
Talking about an incident in Aizawl where the Indian Air Force used bombing to curb violence, which resulted in a decrease in the intensity of conflicts, Sarma said, "He said the Army should intervene. What does that mean? Should they open fire on civilians?" news agency PTI quoted him as saying.
The Assam CM further said that the solution to the situation in the northeastern state should come from the heart and not from the use of force.
Sarma’s statement comes after Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his speech in Parliament on Thursday, saying, “The Indian Army can stop this nonsense in two days but, the PM wants to burn Manipur and does not want to extinguish the fire.”
Reacting to this, Sarma pointed out that when Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the Manipur issue in Parliament, the Opposition walked out.
“The Opposition demanded that PM Modi should speak on Manipur and when he started speaking, they walked out. That completely exposed their design that the intention of the opposition was nothing to do with Manipur. They just wanted to disrupt the Parliament..,” Sarma alleged.
He further added, “PM Modi spoke from his heart. He also showed his affection for the people of Manipur...As a principal party, they should have listened to Prime Minister's speech till the end..."
Violence broke out in Manipur on May 3 during a Tribal Solidarity March that was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.. Ever since, over 160 people have lost their lives.
