The Congress welcomed the measures announced by Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday to bring back normalcy in Manipur but asked why he did not do this earlier and allowed the state to burn for a month.

In Imphal, Shah said a judicial committee headed by a retired high court chief justice will soon be announced to inquire into the violent clashes that has claimed over 80 lives.

He also announced that a peace committee under Governor Anusuiya Uikey having representatives of all parties, Kuki and Meitei communities and social organisations will be set up. A CBI probe to look into FIRs alleging five criminal conspiracies and one general conspiracy behind the violence in Manipur was also announced.

Congress general secretary, communications, Jairam Ramesh said Shah's series of announcements on measures related to bringing Manipur back to normalcy is welcome.

"Why couldn't he have done this weeks ago? Why did the Modi government let Manipur burn for a month? Are only Manipuri votes valuable and Manipuri lives dispensable," he asked on Twitter.

"The RSS' agenda, the BJP state government's diabolical acts and the Union government's inaction is the reason why Manipur is bitterly divided today. And what has happened in Manipur has implications for the entire Northeast," the Congress leader also said.

The party has claimed that the BJP's "divisive politics" was responsible for the crisis in Manipur and has questioned why Prime Minister Narendra Modi has not made an appeal for peace to the people of the northeastern state.

The opposition party has also questioned why Shah delayed his visit to the violence-hit state.

Shah said he visited relief camps, met both Kuki and Meitei civil groups, and discussed the peace process.

According to Shah, the leaders of both the warring Meitei and Kuki communities, as well as other civil society representatives who met him, assured that they would work to assuage hurt feelings and remove misunderstandings.