India has rejected the European Parliament’s plan to hold an “urgent debate” on the violence in Manipur on Wednesday, calling it an issue that is “totally internal” to India.
Parliamentary groups tabled a motion for a resolution on the Manipur situation in the Brussels-based EU parliament and requested the EU’s top officials to speak to New Delhi about remedying the situation.
Manipur Violence an ‘Internal Issue’
Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra said at a press conference in New Delhi that the debate in the European Parliament is happening despite India’s efforts to dissuade parliamentarians and put across India’s point of view.
“This is a matter totally internal to India. We are aware of the happenings in the [European] parliament and have reached-out to the concerned Members of European Parliament (MEPs). But we have made it absolutely clear that this is a matter wholly and totally internal to India,” Kwatra remarked.
Kwatra declined to comment on a claim in a Manipur newspaper that said the government hired a major lobbying company in Brussels, ‘Alber & Geiger,’ to assist with outreach to MEPs, and that the company had allegedly issued a letter to them on behalf of the Indian government.
The letter referred to discussions between the EU and India and stated, “India should not be prevented from explaining its position in such a situation.”
#FPNews: #India on Wednesday said that it has been made clear to the #EU parliamentarians that the situation in #Manipur is a matter “absolutely” internal to the country.https://t.co/itdZAw3SYB
— Firstpost (@firstpost) July 13, 2023
The Resolution
Six parliamentary groups put forward a resolution in the EU Parliament criticising the Modi government’s handling of Manipur’s two-month-long violence. The groups range from the Left, European Socialists, and Greens to regionalist parties, Conservatives, and centre-right political and Christian groups.
The motion “The Manipur matter” has been set for debate as part of the “Debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy, and the Rule of Law.”
The joint resolution noted, “There have been concerns about politically motivated, divisive policies promoting Hindu majoritarianism, and an increase in activity by militant groups.” In the resolution, the groups urged the Indian government to end the state’s “internet shutdowns” and requested the European Union (EU) leadership to raise the Manipur issue in human rights negotiations with India.
Additionally, the resolution urged the central government to repeal the “unlawful Armed Forces Special Powers Act in accordance with the recommendations of the UN Universal Periodic Review,” and follow the UN Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials.
Just in; Indian Foreign Secretary Vinay Kwatra says New Delhi has reached out to EU parliamentarians who have moved a resolution to debate human rights “breaches” in #Manipur in EU Parliament on 12-13 July.
— Dhairya Maheshwari (@dhairyam14) July 12, 2023
Kwatra said that events in Manipur are an “internal matter” of India. pic.twitter.com/VWoUZc5bSY
The resolution, moved by the pro-right European Conservatives and Reformists (ECR) group, also expressed deep concern about the situation in Manipur, noting that “religious freedom in India has declined in recent years, marked by the promotion and enforcement of discriminatory laws and practises that negatively impact the country’s minorities of Christian, Muslim, Sikh, and Adivasis populations.”
At least one of the motions initiated by the “Left Group” even drew similarities to the situation in Jammu and Kashmir, calling on the Indian government to lift restrictions on free expression and release human rights defenders detained there.
Clashes in Manipur
Over 150 people have been killed, and hundreds have been injured since ethnic violence broke out in Manipur on 3 May, when a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was planned in the hill areas to oppose the Meitei community’s desire for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Weapons have been seized from police armouries, and sporadic violent clashes have been reported in the northeastern state.
The Meiteis constitute about 53% of Manipur’s population and reside mostly in the Imphal Valley. The hill districts are home to tribal Nagas and Kukis, who constitute approximately 40% of the population.