India
Chhattisgarh CM Bhupesh Baghel denounces PM Modi’s Manipur comparison as politically motivated | India News
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RAIPUR: In a sharp response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi‘s remarks comparing the violence in Manipur to the law and order situation in Congress-ruled Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan, Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has condemned the statement, calling it politically motivated and an attempt to portray the state in a poor light ahead of the assembly elections.
“It is unfair to draw parallels between Manipur and Chhattisgarh, emphasizing that Manipur has been grappling with unrest for the past three months, resulting in numerous casualties. The PM has been silent on the issue until now, and when he finally spoke about it, he made false claims,” he said while talking to reporters in the state capital.
Expressing anguish over the remarks, Baghel said the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during their recent visit to Chhattisgarh, never raised any concerns about the state’s law and order situation. Baghel felt that suddenly making such claims was an attempt to disrupt peace in the state, rather than a genuine expression of concern from the central government.
Reacting for the first time over the Manipur violence and the alleged gang rape and public nudity of women in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “It is a shameful incident for any society and has put the nation to shame. I appeal to all chief ministers to tighten law and order. Whether it is Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, or Manipur, the issue of a woman’s honor is above all politics.”
Stung by the Prime Minister comparing Chhattisgarh’s law and order situation with the Manipur violence, Baghel said, “PM spoke for 36 seconds for the first time on Manipur but stirred the issue with Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which cannot be compared with the conflict-ridden north-eastern state. He did not speak a word about crime in Uttar Pradesh where people are being murdered in court and hospital, nor about tribal atrocities in Madhya Pradesh.”
“The hidden agenda is to bring the state in a poor light as elections are nearing,” Baghel said, adding that Chhattisgarh is a peaceful state and, as a PM, he should stop lying to discredit the state. “Modi has time to go on foreign visits and campaign for elections in Karnataka and Chhattisgarh but has no time to visit Manipur,” he added.
“The only motive behind issuing such a statement is to divert attention from Manipur. It’s a double-engine government in Manipur, why doesn’t the PM take action? The country cannot run by only electioneering-motivated politics. PM, in his recent visit to Chhattisgarh, had levelled several allegations but not a word on the law and order situation. Suddenly, the state’s comparison with Manipur, which has a different situation altogether,” Baghel said.
Deputy Chief Minister T S Singhdeo also took strong exception to the PM’s remarks and tweeted, “It took 80 days for the Prime Minister to speak about ‘Manipur’ and to express anguish! And today, when he said it, it seems he’s not addressing the nation but an election rally. Prime Minister ji, because you have mentioned the name of Chhattisgarh with Manipur, let us tell you, that the law and order situation here is intact.
There have been only stray incidents of women being paraded naked in Chhattisgarh in the past. In Kondagaon district in 2022, a married man and another woman were stripped and paraded naked for having an affair, while cases of women being stripped and paraded naked after being tagged as ‘tonhi’ for practicing witchcraft were reported earlier.
“It is unfair to draw parallels between Manipur and Chhattisgarh, emphasizing that Manipur has been grappling with unrest for the past three months, resulting in numerous casualties. The PM has been silent on the issue until now, and when he finally spoke about it, he made false claims,” he said while talking to reporters in the state capital.
Expressing anguish over the remarks, Baghel said the Prime Minister and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during their recent visit to Chhattisgarh, never raised any concerns about the state’s law and order situation. Baghel felt that suddenly making such claims was an attempt to disrupt peace in the state, rather than a genuine expression of concern from the central government.
Reacting for the first time over the Manipur violence and the alleged gang rape and public nudity of women in Manipur, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, “It is a shameful incident for any society and has put the nation to shame. I appeal to all chief ministers to tighten law and order. Whether it is Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, or Manipur, the issue of a woman’s honor is above all politics.”
Stung by the Prime Minister comparing Chhattisgarh’s law and order situation with the Manipur violence, Baghel said, “PM spoke for 36 seconds for the first time on Manipur but stirred the issue with Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh which cannot be compared with the conflict-ridden north-eastern state. He did not speak a word about crime in Uttar Pradesh where people are being murdered in court and hospital, nor about tribal atrocities in Madhya Pradesh.”
“The hidden agenda is to bring the state in a poor light as elections are nearing,” Baghel said, adding that Chhattisgarh is a peaceful state and, as a PM, he should stop lying to discredit the state. “Modi has time to go on foreign visits and campaign for elections in Karnataka and Chhattisgarh but has no time to visit Manipur,” he added.
“The only motive behind issuing such a statement is to divert attention from Manipur. It’s a double-engine government in Manipur, why doesn’t the PM take action? The country cannot run by only electioneering-motivated politics. PM, in his recent visit to Chhattisgarh, had levelled several allegations but not a word on the law and order situation. Suddenly, the state’s comparison with Manipur, which has a different situation altogether,” Baghel said.
Deputy Chief Minister T S Singhdeo also took strong exception to the PM’s remarks and tweeted, “It took 80 days for the Prime Minister to speak about ‘Manipur’ and to express anguish! And today, when he said it, it seems he’s not addressing the nation but an election rally. Prime Minister ji, because you have mentioned the name of Chhattisgarh with Manipur, let us tell you, that the law and order situation here is intact.
There have been only stray incidents of women being paraded naked in Chhattisgarh in the past. In Kondagaon district in 2022, a married man and another woman were stripped and paraded naked for having an affair, while cases of women being stripped and paraded naked after being tagged as ‘tonhi’ for practicing witchcraft were reported earlier.
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