Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh, who hoisted the national flag as part of the Independence Day celebrations in the state, blamed the ethnic strife in the state on "certain misunderstandings, actions of vested interests and foreign plot to destabilise the country."
Adding that the government was working to bring back normalcy in the state, he mourned the loss of precious lives and properties in the state. The Independence Day celebrations were held at the 1st Manipur Rifles parade ground.
He urged all to stop the violence and bring back the rapid progress the state had witnessed earlier. "The government is working consistently to bring back normalcy and the affected people will be resettled soon. Those who cannot be shifted to the original places immediately will be shifted temporarily to pre-fabricated houses which are under construction," he added.
"To err is human so we must learn to forgive and forget", he said.
"By forgiving and forgetting, we can live harmoniously and continue our journey on the path of development, which we have lost for the past three months," Singh said while hoisting the tricolour during the 77th Indian Independence Day celebrations in Imphal today.
"The violence won't bring any development. If there was any misunderstanding and miscommunication among the communities, we can sit across the table and discuss all the shortcomings. For this, our door is always open," he added.
"Some vested interests and forces from outside tried to destabilise our peace-loving state and country," he claimed.
Singh said his government has never done, and would never do, anything that would be against the Constitution. If it did, his government would not survive even for a moment, he said.
Over 180 people have lost their lives and more than 3,000 have been injured in the violence in Manipur, which began on May 3, when a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe status. More than 60,000 people remain displaced and property worth thousands of crores has been destroyed.
