Nationalist Congress Party (SP) chief Sharad Pawar has expressed apprehension of a situation like the northeastern state of Manipur in Maharashtra. However, he said that this could not happen due to the legacy of many veterans who promoted goodwill.
During this, he accused the central government of failing to stop the violence in Manipur and also strongly criticized it. There have been reports of ethnic violence between Kuki and Meitei in the northeastern state.
Speaking at an event in Navi Mumbai, Pawar said, “This happened in Manipur. This happened in neighbouring states as well. There have been concerns in recent times that this could happen in Maharashtra as well. Fortunately, Maharashtra has a legacy of many stalwarts who promoted goodwill and equality,” India Today reported. He also questioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the Manipur issue.
He said, ‘Manipur was mentioned in some conversation. This was discussed in the country’s Parliament. People from different castes, religions and languages living in Manipur came to Delhi and met us. What does the picture shown by them tell us?’ He said, ‘People of Manipur who have been living together for generations and have maintained goodwill are not even ready to talk to each other today.’
He said that it is the responsibility of the government to resolve this issue. The special thing is that Pawar’s statement has come at a time when discontent among Marathas and OBCs is increasing regarding the quota in the state. However, the NCP (SP) chief did not say anything about it.