West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday expressed concerns over the current situation in violence-hit Manipur and alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party government is not providing a clear picture of the death toll in the northeastern state where “shoot-at-sight” orders are in force.
Banerjee also said the Bengal government has decided to ban the controversial movie ‘The Kerala Story’. “This is to avoid any incident of hatred and violence, and to maintain peace in the state,” Banerjee said at a press briefing at the state secretariat.
“What is ‘The Kashmir files’? It is to humiliate one section. What is ‘The Kerala story’?… It is a distorted story… They are also planning to make Bengal Files to defame the state,” Banerjee said.
“I do not support CPM people. They are working with the BJP. They needed to be criticised first. I am telling the Kerala government, it is unfortunate. Your party is working with the BJP. And the BJP is showing Kerala Files (The Kerala Story). All are distorted information,” the Trinamool Congress supremo added.
Urging the people of election-bound Karnataka to vote for stability and development, the Bengal CM said, “My only appeal to brothers and sisters in Karnataka is that please vote for stability and development. I appeal that please don’t vote for the BJP. They are dangerous.”
She also lashed out at the BJP government in the Centre for not sending a single representative to Manipur to review the situation.
“I am quite tense with the situation in Manipur. We are not getting a clear picture of the number of deaths in shoot-at-sight (order) as the state government is not giving any information,” she said.
Manipur violence is a man-made problem, Banerjee claimed.
Violent clashes broke out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organised in the 10 hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status, leading to the deaths of at least 54 people.
Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur’s population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals – Nagas and Kukis — constitute another 40 per cent of the population and live in the hill districts.
