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Manipur situation serious: PC

By Spl Correspondent

NEW DELHI, May 7 � �Admitting that the situation in Manipur was serious, Union Home Minister, P Chidambaram said the Centre is trying to handle it, stressing Centre would not shy away from making changes in the �Constitution to ensure that people of North-East feel they are part of the country.

�In Manipur, there is a serious problem. A person wants to go to his home village. The Government there is resisting it. There is a problem in Manipur. We are trying to handle it,� he said on Thursday replying to a discussion on working of Home Ministry.

The Home Minister had summoned Chief Minister, O Ibobi Singh for a day, on Thursday, in a bid to resolve the crisis in the State. At least six Naga MLAs of Manipur yesterday resigned in protest against State Government�s decision to ban Th. Muivah�s visit.

�We must not hesitate to make whatever changes in the governance sector that is necessary within the Indian Constitution. Whatever changes in the governance sector that is necessary must be met, so that the people of North-East, feel that they are part of India, that they are able to govern themselves. I promise that that would be the endeavour in this year,� he said without mentioning the ongoing political dialogue with NSCN (I-M).

Chidambaram also referred to the situation in Assam and mentioned about the dramatic change in situation following arrest of several insurgent leaders and signing of ceasefire pacts with a bunch of militant outfits.

�Now by and large violence has come down, except in Assam and Manipur, I think, we must reach out to the North-East. We must spend more money in the North-East. Our Department and Ministries must ensure that development takes place in the North-East, he said.

Chidambaram urged MPs to travel to the North-East, even if you don�t come from those States. When North-Eastern girls and boys come to Delhi or Mumbai, there are a lot of people who look upon them as if they are foreigners. They are not foreigners and they feel very unhappy I think, we need to mainstream our minds rather than ask that North-East should be mainstreamed. It is our minds I think which keep North-East down, he said.

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