NEW DELHI (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 14th July, 2023) Indian Foreign Ministry spokesman Arindam Bagchi on Thursday called the European Parliament's resolution on the clashes in India's northeastern state of Manipur "unacceptable" and slammed it as interference in the country's internal affairs.
Earlier in the day, the European Parliament adopted a resolution on the human rights situation in India, with a focus on the recent clashes in Manipur. The resolution denounced nationalistic rhetoric allegedly deployed by members of the Bharatiya Janata Party, one of India's two major political parties, and urged New Delhi to authorize independent investigations into the clashes.
"We have seen that the European Parliament held a discussion on developments in Manipur and adopted a so-called Urgency Resolution. Such interference in India's internal affairs is unacceptable, and reflects a colonial mindset. Indian authorities at all levels, including the judiciary, are seized of the situation in Manipur and are taking steps to maintain peace and harmony and law and order," Bagchi said in a statement.
The spokesman added that the European Parliament should "utilize its time more productively on its internal issues" instead.
Violent clashes erupted in the Indian state of Manipur in early May after the Meitei people demanded that they become a scheduled tribe in India. These demands provoked a protest from the Kuki people, who are the indigenous population of the state. As a result, at least 98 people were killed and over 300 others injured in the clashes.
The list of scheduled castes and tribes in India includes representatives of the most disadvantaged socio-economic groups. Inclusion in this list provides groups with opportunities for preferential employment at state enterprises, places in state universities and other benefits.
