It will help if Assam CM did not poke his nose into Manipur: Chidambaram slams Sarma
New Delhi, Jul 2 (PTI) Senior Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday took a swipe at Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma over his remarks that the situation in Manipur will improve within 7 to 10 days, saying it would help if the BJP leader does not "poke his nose" into Manipur's conflict and stayed away.
The former home minister also asserted that it would help if Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh resigned as the CM and President's Rule was imposed in the northeastern state for a few months.
Sarma on Saturday said the situation in neighbouring Manipur will improve within 7-10 days, with the state and central governments working "silently" to restore peace.
He had hit out at the Congress and alleged that the opposition party is showing its concern when "relative peace has come in the northeastern state".
More than 100 people have lost their lives in the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in Manipur since clashes first started on May 3.
In a tweet, Chidambaram said, "CM, Assam has promised that peace will return to Manipur in a week. It will help if CM, Assam did not poke his nose into Manipur's conflict and stayed away."
"It will also help if Mr Biren Singh resigned as CM and President's Rule was imposed for a few months," Chidambaram said.
Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a programme in Dibrugarh on Saturday, Sarma, the convenor of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), said, "The situation in Manipur is improving day by day. I am of the view that in the next one week to 10 days, there will be more improvement."
Sarma claimed there has been "a lot of improvement" in Manipur in the last month.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Five railway staffers injured as van headed to Rajdhani Express fire site overturns in MP
Ratlam (MP) (PTI): Five railway staffers were injured, one of them critically, when their van carrying repair equipment to the site of a Rajdhani Express fire overturned in Madhya Pradesh's Ratlam district on Sunday, officials said.
The blaze erupted in an AC coach of the Delhi-bound Thiruvananthapuram-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota division of the railways in Ratlam at 5.15 am.
It disrupted the movement of several trains on the Mumbai-Delhi route, as per the officials.
A van carrying necessary equipment to Alot overturned on the way when a cow suddenly strayed into the middle of the road, they said.
ALSO READ: Fire breaks out in coach of Delhi-bound Rajdhani Express in MP's Ratlam; no casualties
Five railwaymen were injured, one of them critically, the officials said.
The incident took place when the van carrying essential equipment for overhead electric line repair, among other things, was on its way to Alot from Shyamnagar in Ratlam, West Central Railway's chief public relations officer Harshit Shrivastava told PTI.
The injured persons were rushed to the hospital and were subsequently referred to Kota in Rajasthan, officials said.
No casualties were reported in the train fire.
