Union Home Minister Amit Shah Tuesday pledged to establish peace in Manipur by initiating talks with all underground groups operating in the state. He also asserted that all smuggling activities will come to an end in Manipur, which will be “drug-free” within the next five years. Addressing a poll rally at Heirok in Thoubal district, Shah said “We have shown in Assam and Tripura… where 9,500 youths laid down their weapons and joined the mainstream”, and added that “no youth will go to jail, none will have weapons in their hands, but will join the mainstream and work for national development.”
Speaking at a virtual rally in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is running several unifying initiatives such as ‘Go to Hills, Go to Village’ to defeat separatist propaganda. “For us, Manipur and Northeast is the centre of India’s unity,” the PM said. He also hit out at the Congress party, saying that it has not worked for the development of Manipur and encouraged separatism.
