PM Modi should convince Christians in Manipur there is no discrimination: Syro-Malabar Bishop

A senior Bishop of the influential Syro-Malabar Catholic Church on Thursday said instead of saying in the US that there is no discrimination in India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi should try to convince the Christians in Manipur about that.

Thalassery Archbishop Mar Joseph Pamplany said that Manipur was witnessing a 56-days long violence, which is still ongoing, in the state that can also be termed as an ''ethnic cleansing'' and yet neither the state government there nor the Centre were taking any effective measures to end it.

The Bishop said that if Modi can convince the Christians in the north-eastern state that there is no discrimination, then only his statement to that effect would be seen as ''honest and sincere'' by the people of India.

''Otherwise, no one can be faulted for thinking that there is a silent approval of the government to those engaging in violence and killing in that state,'' said the Bishop, who had promised to address the BJP's dearth of an MP from Kerala if the Centre increased rubber prices.

Pamplany, talking to reporters here, said that Christians in Manipur were being brutally assaulted, that is a reality, and there has been no effective intervention in the matter by the state government there and the Centre.

The Bishop said that the church does not intend to see it as a political issue.

''Rather, we see it as a failure of the government and the Constitutional authorities in performing their duty to ensure the right to life and the freedom to practice the religion of one's choice that are guaranteed under the Constitution,'' he said.

More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state after clashes broke out between them on May 3 after a 'Tribal Solidarity March' was organised in the hill districts to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley. Tribals -- Nagas and Kukis -- constitute another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

When reporters pointed out that PM Modi has been silent on the issue till now, Pamplany said the Prime Minister was free to decide as to what he should react to, but beyond a reaction it is expected of him to create a peaceful environment in the state.

''During his US visit, Modi said that there was no discrimination in India. We all want that to be true. However, if that statement of his is honest, he should make the Christians in Manipur believe that. He should say to their faces that there is no discrimination.

''Instead of trying to convince those in the US that there is no discrimination, the PM needs to convince the Christians in Manipur who have suffered brutal assaults, lost homes, churches and loved ones and had to hide in forests or other states to save themselves, that there is no discrimination,'' the Bishop said.

During his US visit, Modi had asserted that there was no question of discrimination in India on the grounds of caste or religion because his government follows the Constitution, which is formed on the basic values of democracy.

He was responding to a question about the steps taken by his government to improve the rights of minorities in India and uphold free speech.

Pamplany also said that it was surprising that those engaged in the violence have access to weapons used by the police and armed forces.

''How did they get it? The government authorities claim the weapons were taken away forcibly. ''In such a situation, people cannot be faulted for suspecting a silent approval from the government to those carrying out the killings and violence in the state,'' he said.

The Bishop also said that the ongoing violence in Manipur is a clear indication that no one is doing anything to bring peace in the state.

Pamplany had in March created ripples in the political circles of Kerala by saying that if the Centre promised to increase the price of rubber procurement to Rs 300 per kilogram, BJP's dearth of an MP from the southern state would be addressed.

Thereafter, he again courted controversy by stating in May that political martyrs are those who died after getting into ''unnecessary fights''.