Hyderabad: A video of the Union minister for the development of North Eastern region (DoNER) G Kishan Reddy’s remarks on the situation of unrest in Manipur has created a furore online.
In the video that was shared on Twitter on Saturday, Kishan Reddy can be seen pushing away the mic of a reporter who asked him about the Manipur situation. Reddy is heard saying, “It’s Delhi’s law and order matter. I am with the Telangana state. I don’t have the ministry now. I am not related to the ministry.”
While Siasat.com couldn’t verify the veracity of the video, his purported response created has created a furore online as many netizens expressed anger, with some terming him ‘arrogant’.
Leaders of the BRS and the Congress targeted the minister over the remarks in the video.
The minister’s response comes at a time when the horrifying video of Kuki Zo women being paraded naked and molested by gangs of men surfaced online leading to widespread condemnation.
The Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) is a Government of India, established in September 2001, which functions as the nodal department of the Centre to deal with matters related to the socio-economic development of the eight States of Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, and Sikkim.
G Kishan Reddy was appointed as the charge of this ministry on July 7, 2021.
After discontinuing Karimnagar MP Bandi Sanjay Kumar as the chief of Telangana BJP at the beginning of July, Kishan Reddy was appointed by the saffron party’s high command as the state party chief ahead of the Telangana elections at the end of 2023.
He officially took charge of the new role in Telangana on Friday as citizens of Manipur are still reeling under the ethnic violence in the state.
Though observers expected Kishan Reddy to resign from his union cabinet role as the minister for Tourism, Culture, and Development of the North Eastern Region of India, it didn’t happen.
