Congress leader Jairam Ramesh on Friday reacted to US envoy Eric Garcetti's remarks on Manipur violence and said External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar should tell the US ambassador to India that he had no role to play in the northeast state.
In a tweet, the Congress leader also targeted the BJP-led central government, saying PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah have been ineffective but that does not mean that there is any opening for any other country.
"Will the External Affairs Minister @DrSJaishankar summon the US Ambassador and tell him in no uncertain terms that the USA has no role whatsoever to play in Manipur? The responsibility for bringing back peace and harmony in Manipur is that of the Union Govt, the state govt, the civil society and political parties in the state, especially," Jairam Ramesh tweeted.
“The Prime Minister is silent and the Home Minister has been ineffective. That does not mean that there is any opening for any other country. This is an Indian challenge which we as Indians have to address sensitively and resolutely,” he added.
Addressing a press conference in Kolkata on Thursday, Garcetti said, "There has been so much progress" in the Northeast region, and it's not possible without peace."
The US envoy said his country was ready "to assist in any way" if asked in dealing with the situation in Manipur. However, he was quick to add that Manipur was an "Indian matter" and the "US prays for peace in the region as it can bring more collaboration, more projects, and more investment if peace is in place".
Meanwhile, Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Arindam Bagchi also reacted to Eric Garcetti's comments and said foreign diplomats do not usually comment on internal developments in India.
"I haven't seen those comments by the US Ambassador, and if he has made them, we'll see. I haven't had a chance to see, maybe it just happened. I think, you know...we would also (love to) see peace there, and I think that our agencies and our security forces are working, and our local government are working on it. I'm not sure foreign diplomats would usually comment on internal developments in India, but I won't like to make a comment without seeing exactly what is being said," Bagchi said.
The violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).
