Hours before the members of the European Parliament were to hold a debate on the ethnic violence in Manipur, India on Wednesday said that the matter was an internal one.

“This is a matter totally internal to India...We have conveyed this to European parliamentarians as well,” Foreign Secretary Vinay Mohan Kwatra said.

Manipur has been witnessing ethnic clashes between the Kuki and Meitei communities since May 3. Widespread incidents of violence and arson continue to deepen the crisis in the state. Over 140 people have been killed and nearly 60,000 have been forced to flee their homes.

Opposition parties have criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led governments in the Centre and in Manipur for not doing enough to stop the violence in the states. They have also castigated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not visiting the state or commenting on the situation there.

A motion for a resolution on Manipur was tabled in the European Parliament on June 11 and has been scheduled for discussion on Wednesday under “debates on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law”. A vote on the resolution will be held on Thursday.

The development comes on the eve of Modi’s visit to Paris as a guest of honour at France’s Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.

The motion was tabled in the European Union Parliament by six parliamentary groups – the Left Group, Verts/ALE Group, S&D Group, the Renew Group, the ECR Group, and the PPE Group.

They have accused the Bharatiya Janata Party’s government in the Centre of violating human rights and cracking down on dissent, civil society, and journalists. The resolution also condemned the violence, loss of life and destruction of property in Manipur and also denounced “in the strongest terms” the “nationalistic rhetoric deployed by leading members of the BJP party”.

The six groups have also called upon the communities in Manipur to exercise restraint and urged political leaders “to cease inflammatory statements” in order to re-establish trust. They have also called upon the Centre to repeal the dreaded Armed Forces Special Powers Act or AFSPA.

AFSPA gives Army personnel sweeping powers in disturbed areas to search, arrest and open fire if they deem it necessary for “the maintenance of public order”.

India hires lobbying firm

Meanwhile, the Indian government has hired one of Europe’s leading lobbying firms, Alber & Geiger, to represent its side in the European Parliament, The Wire reported.

In a statement, the firm claimed that instability in Manipur has been going on for a long time, reported Imphal Times.

“Currently, the government of India is working incessantly in order to mitigate the conflict and restore peace in that area and also constituted a Peace Committee in Manipur to facilitate communication between the parties,” the firm said.

It further added: “Therefore, the internal situation in Manipur should be discussed between the Parliament and India before such a harsh Urgency Resolution is discussed by the [European] Parliament…”