TMC delegation's Manipur visit gets postponed to July 19

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday said it has decided to postpone a scheduled visit of a party delegation to ethnic strife-torn Manipur to July 19 following a request from the government of the northeastern state.

A five-member TMC delegation was scheduled to visit Manipur on July 14 to reach out to the affected people.

Senior TMC leader and West Bengal minister Shashi Panja said the party has decided to postpone the visit by a few days following a request by the Manipur government.

"Our five-member delegation, which was scheduled to visit Manipur from July 14 to 15, will now visit the state from July 19 to 20, as there was a request by the Manipur government to postpone it by two-three days. We have agreed to it," she told PTI video service.

More than 150 people have been killed so far and several thousand injured since ethnic clashes broke out between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state on May 3.

The TMC delegation will comprise Rajya Sabha leader Derek O'Brien, Rajya Sabha MPs Dola Sen and Sushmita Dev and Lok Sabha MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Kalyan Banerjee.

The TMC has been alleging that the "divisive" policies of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Manipur have led to ethnic strife.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal Valley, while tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, constitute 40 per cent and reside mostly in the hill districts.