Coronavirus only affects human body, communal virus affects body politic: Sibal on fresh violence in Manipur

PTI, May 23, 2023, 10:54 AM IST

In the wake of fresh violence in Manipur, Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Tuesday said coronavirus only affects the human body while the ”communal virus” affects the body politic and its political dividends are temporary but scars permanent.

Two houses were torched by a mob in Imphal East district after four armed men, including a former MLA, forced people to shut their shops on Monday, police officials said.

In a tweet, Sibal said, ”Manipur burning again. Earlier clashes led to: 70 dead, 200 injured. ‘Coronavirus’ only affects the human body, ‘communal virus’ affects the body politic.” ”If it (communal virus) spreads, the consequences are unimaginable. Its political dividends are temporary, its scars are permanent!” said Sibal, who was a Union minister during UPA 1 and 2 and had quit the Congress in May last year. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha as an Independent member with the Samajwadi Party’s support.

Sibal recently floated a non-electoral platform ‘Insaaf’ aimed at fighting injustice.

The Opposition has been hitting out at the BJP governments at the Centre and in the state for the violence in Manipur.

In fresh violence in Manipur, no casualty was reported due to the arson.

Around 10,000 Army and Assam Rifles jawans are currently deployed in the state.

Earlier, clashes had broken out in Manipur after a ‘Tribal Solidarity March’ was organized in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community’s demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status.

The violence in Manipur was preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which had led to a series of smaller agitations.

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.

The ethnic clashes claimed over 70 lives and some 10,000 army and paramilitary personnel had to be deployed to restore normalcy in the northeastern state.