On Sunday, Congress leader Shashi Tharoor called for the President's rule in violence-hit Manipur as he took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the dispute between tribals and members of the prepotent Meitei community which has led to disarray in the northeastern state.
“As the Manipur violence persists, all right-thinking Indians must ask themselves what happened to the much-vaunted good governance we had been promised,” Tharoor wrote on Twitter.
“The voters of Manipur are feeling grossly betrayed just a year after putting the BJP in power in their state. It’s time for President’s Rule; the state Govt is just not up to the job they were elected to do,” he added.
Clashes erupted on May 3 in the Torbung area in the Churachandpur district of Manipur during the 'Tribal Solidarity March' organised by the All Tribal Student Union Manipur (ATSUM). The union was demanding Scheduled Tribe (ST) status for the Meiteis.
The march was organised by tribals -- including Nagas and Kukis -- after the Manipur High Court asked the state government last month to send a recommendation to the Centre within four weeks on the demand for ST status by the Meitei community. During the march in Torbung, an armed mob allegedly attacked people of the Meitei community. The violence erupted after the incident.
