'Who is the aggressor and who is the victim is not clear, each blames the other.'
E T Mohammed Basheer, 77, is a member of the Lok Sabha from Ponnani, Kerala.
The Indian Union Muslim League MP was part of the 21-member delegation of MPs from 16 parties, who visited Manipur last weekend to find out what is happening there.
"People are falling sick and there is no medicine. Women are delivering babies in the camps instead of hospitals," Basheer tells Rediff.com's A Ganesh Nadar.
Both sides are suffering. From outside it looks like the Meteis are attacking the Kukis, but when you go there you realise that both sides are attacking each other.
Both sides are suffering. Thousands of people have been displaced from their homes.
We visited a camp with 1,300 people with no facilities. Who is the aggressor and who is the victim is not clear, each blames the other. Both are tribals.
Within these tribal societies there are influential groups which are creating confusion.
Both groups are heavily armed, with weapons that they have looted from police stations.
Instead of solving the problem, the government is playing a negative role. Both parties are equally guilty.
Civil society, NGOs and the government are running relief camps. As the terrain is hostile, the people are suffering.
Relief material cannot reach any place easily. People are falling sick and there is no medicine. Women are delivering babies in the camps instead of hospitals.
The government is supplying only rice to the camps. Nobody is intent on bringing normalcy in this state.
What is the remedy? Only if all parties come together and discuss the problem, will we find a solution.
The prime minister has to come to Parliament. Only if Parliament discusses this topic will it send out a strong message to Manipur and its people that they are important.
We have to show that we care for them and only then is there hope for peace.
Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff.com
