Picture : Twitter/ ANI
The Congress has raised strong objections to US Ambassador Eric Garcetti’s making remarks on Manipur and asked the government if it would summon and tell him in no uncertain terms it is India’s internal matter and the United States has no role to play.
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said it is the responsibility of the central and state governments to restore peace in Manipur, which has been gripped by deadly ethnic violence since May 3.
Speaking at a press conference in Kolkata , Garcetti said the violence and killings in Manipur are a matter of “human concern” and the US is “ready to assist” India in dealing with the situation “if asked”.
In a tweet, Jairam Ramesh targeted the government. “Will the External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar summon the US Ambassador and tell him in no uncertain terms that the USA has no role whatsoever to play in Manipur,” he said.
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…
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) July 7, 2023
“The responsibility for bringing back peace and harmony in Manipur is that of the Union Government, the state government, the civil society and political parties in the state, especially,” he said.
“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,” the Congress leader said.
Another senior Congress leader Manish Tewari tweeted , As much as I can recall after spending over 4 decades in Public life, I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with sagacity & wisdom.
As much as I can recall after spending over 4 decades in Public life, I have never heard an US Ambassador making a statement of this nature about the internal affairs of India.
We faced Challenges in Punjab, J&K , North East over the decades and surmounted those with sagacity &… https://t.co/9O0gtvXwFE
— Manish Tewari (@ManishTewari) July 7, 2023
Asked about Garcetti’s remarks during a media briefing on Thursday, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said, “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 (want to) see peace there, and I think that our agencies and our security forces are working, and our local government are working on it,” he said.
