Derek O'Brien to represent TMC at all-party meeting on Manipur: West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 22 : West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday said senior MP Derek O'Brien will represent her party, the Trinamool Congress, at the all-party meeting on the prevailing situation in Manipur.

The all-party meeting will be hosted in the national capital on June 24, Saturday.

Speaking to reporters in Kolkata on Thursday, the West Bengal chief minister said, "Manipur is burning. Our heart is burning. Students can't step outdoors for fear of being harmed. The administration has clearly failed to control the situation in Manipur. The people there are living in fear. Even ministers' houses are being set on fire. They (the central government) have called an all-party meeting (to discuss the situation in Manipur) and I will be sending Derek O'Brien for the talks."

Earlier, on Wednesday, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) informed through an official release that Union Home Minister Amit Shah will convene an all-party meeting in the national capital on Saturday to discuss the situation in the Northeast state.

The announcement came hours after Congress chairperson Sonia Gandhi, in a release, said the "unprecedented violence that has devastated the lives of people in Manipur has left a deep wound in the conscience of our nation".

He urged all stakeholders, including the central and state governments, to work for the restoration of peace and harmony in the state.

Earlier, on Thursday, Congress leader KC Venugopal lashed out at Amit Shah over his "late call" for an all-party meeting on Manipur violence.

"Well after 50 days of death and destruction in Manipur, HM Amit Shah's call for an all-party meeting is too little too late. The government only woke up after Sonia Gandhi ji's address to the people of Manipur," Venugopal wrote on Twitter.

With incidents of firing and arson still being reported in Manipur, the state government has extended the ban on the internet by five more days till June 25 with immediate effect in an effort to prevent further disturbance to peace.

The data services have also been banned in view of the persisting unrest in the state.

Violence gripped Manipur on May 3 after clashes erupted during a rally organised by the All Tribals Students Union (ATSU) to protest the demand for the inclusion of Meiteis in the Scheduled Tribe (ST) list.