Manipur Violence: BJP Leader Vinod Sharma Quits Party, Says 'PM Modi Is Sleeping'

The nearly three-month-long ethnic violence in Manipur has claimed over 160 lives.

Patna: After resigning from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over the Manipur issue, the party's former Bihar spokesperson Vinod Sharma on Thursday said that a Manipur-like incident has never happened anywhere else while adding that the "Prime Minister is still sleeping". Sharma said that "with a heavy heart", he wrote to BJP chief JP Nadda and PM Narendra Modi about the Manipur video incident.

"With a heavy heart, I wrote to JP Nadda and PM Modi that an incident like that in the Manipur video has never happened anywhere else. Still, the PM is sleeping, he doesn't have the courage to sack CM Biren Singh...", Sharma told the news agency ANI.

He further said that he has raised his voice against the women's atrocities and resigned from the party.

"BJP speaks about Nari Sakhti, Beti Bachao, Hindu Rashtra, Sanatana Dharm... Is this the Sanatana Dharma we're upholding? As a human being, I couldn't tolerate this and raised my voice against this injustice," he added.

#WATCH | Bihar | After resigning from BJP over Manipur issue, Vinod Sharma says, "With a heavy heart I wrote to JP Nadda and PM Modi that an incident like that in the Manipur video has never happened anywhere else. Still, the PM is sleeping, he doesn't have the courage to sack CM… pic.twitter.com/td5gQYPW5C

— ANI (@ANI) July 27, 2023

The violence in Manipur erupted after a rally by the All Tribal Students Union of Manipur (ATSUM) on May 3 in protest against the proposed inclusion of people belonging to the Meitei community in the list of Scheduled Tribes (STs).

Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) will refer Manipur viral video case to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), the government sources said on Thursday.

A 26-second video from Manipur has triggered outrage in the whole country where two women were stripped naked, assaulted and paraded by a mob.

The sources further told ANI that the Centre will also file an affidavit in Supreme Court requesting the trial of a viral video case to take place outside Manipur. Only STs can buy lands in hilly areas. The majority Meitei community, which occupies the Imphal Valley and nearby areas, sought the ST status keeping in view their increasing population and increased requirement of land so that they could purchase lands in the hilly areas.