The Congress party in Manipur made another attack on the BJP-led government on December 2 over the situation in violence-hit Manipur, saying that instead of working to resolve the current crisis, the incumbent government is trying to divert the issue by blaming the previous government.
The Congress’ attack came days after chief minister N Biren Singh recently blamed the previous government for not properly guarding the Indo-Myanmar border which is, according to him, behind infiltration of illegal immigrants in large scale.
Addressing a press conference, senior Congress leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said that instead of blaming the previous government, the incumbent government must work to find a solution to the almost seven months old crisis.
He refuted the allegation that the previous government did nothing to effectively guard the Indo-Myanmar border while asserting that it was during Congress regime that the border fencing work along the Manipur sector of the international border was taken up.
The initial border fencing of the 10 km stretch of the border was taken up during his tenure as chief minister with the consent of the then Congress-led UPA government, Ibobi Singh said.
However, there was little progress in the fencing work even after nearly 10 years rule of the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre, he also said.
The Modi government at the Centre is going to complete 10 years. At the same time, the BJP-led government in the state has also completed seven years, he added.
The fencing work of the 10 km stretch of the border is to be completed. At the same time, the leaders of the incumbent government are criticizing the previous government as it had done nothing, Ibobi Singh further said.
The former three-time chief minister then said that it is the bounden duty of the Centre to guard the international border to check infiltration of illegal immigrants and cross border smuggling of illegal goods including drugs.
At the same time, protection of land and forest is also the bounden duty of the government and if the government considers the eviction of encroachers in the reserved and protected forest areas, they should be evicted through proper channels.
He then reiterated that instead of blaming the previous government, it would be the best option on the part of the present government to find ways to resolve the crisis.
Attending the press conference, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Keisham Meghachandra, while strongly reacting to chief minister N Biren’s repeated claim on returning the state to normalcy, said that it seemed that the chief minister is unaware of the fact that over 50,000 internally displaced people are still taking refuge in the relief camps.
He said that before making a statement, the chief minister should look at the ground reality of the situation.
“For the government, the peace might have been returned. But, the harsh reality is that there is no peace in the state in general and in the fringe areas in particular,” he pointed out.
Whenever the chief minister claims peace has returned, there is firing in the fringe areas, he also said.
Sitting Congress MLAs and other MPCC leaders also attended the press conference.
