Union Minister of State (MoS) for External Affairs and Education RK Ranjan Singh on Sunday asserted that Burmese refugee escaping the Myanmar army’s violent crackdown on People’s Defence Force (Myanmar) along India-Myanmar and seeking asylum in Manipur will be dealt with as per law of the country.
Speaking to media on the sideline of the interaction programme with the CU Punjab Yuva Sangam team organised under the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat (EBSB) initiative at Manipur University, the minister stated that the ongoing incident is an internal issue of Myanmar and did not concern India. There is no need for India to interfere in the matter, he added.
“We can only wish and hope Myanmar restores normalcy as soon as possible,” Ranjan said.
He further reiterated that refugees seeking asylum in Manipur will be recorded properly and systematically handled as per regulations.
On the occasion, the MoS highlighted that prime minister Narendra Modi had initiated the EBSB programme by building upon Sardar Vallabhai Patel’s vision of integrating every corner of India.
“Unity and integrity are the backdrop of the EBSB programme,” he added.
Ranjan further pointed out that one of the primary objectives of the programme was to create a united, stronger and digitally advanced India when the country observes 100 years of independence.
He maintained that the programme will create cultural awareness among different communities of the country. Cultural awareness is the main ingredient to build a strong unified country, he noted.
“The exposure will help create understanding between communities and aid in rooting all forms of discrimination from the country,” he said.
He stated that the knowledge accumulated by the CU Punjab team during the visit will immensely benefit in pushing the state forward.
MU VC professor N Lokendra singh and officials of the Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat Cell, Manipur University, along with students were present during the interaction programme.
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