4-Member Trinamool Team In Violence-Hit Manipur Meets Communities

A four-member Trinamool Congress team reached Manipur to meet people from all communities affected by the ethnic violence that broke out on May 4.

The team said it will hear all sides in the valley and the hills.

"They would first visit Churachandpur by helicopter. In the evening, they would visit affected areas in Imphal valley," a member of the Trinamool team said.

The Trinamool delegation included MPs Dola Sen, Sushmita Dev, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, and Kalyan Banerjee.

"It was extremely unfortunate that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last assembly polls said peace is the main reason to vote for BJP. But today it is seen that the BJP in the centre and the state has failed to contain the violence in Manipur," Sushmita Dev told reporters.

"I have seen the people of Manipur have taken shelter in relief camps in Silchar. We have seen thousands of people living in relief camps and we would visit all of them," she said.

"After Mamata Banerjee's instruction, we went to Manipur to hear the communities. We will visit all the camps and hear everyone," she added.

The Trinamool has been alleging the "divisive" policies of the BJP-led governments at the centre and in Manipur have led to ethnic violence between the Meitei and the Kukis.

A five-member Trinamool team was scheduled to visit Manipur last week, but decided to postpone it to July 19 following a request by the Manipur government.