Hitting back at Chief Minister N Biren Singh for slapping baseless charges against MLA K Meghachandra for visiting the Kakching SP office in connection with the arrest of CDO personnel with illicit drugs, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Sunday termed the CM’s act as a “breach of privilege”.
“I visited the SP office to laud the police personnel for their great achievement in good faith. The allegation of threatening the SP is totally wrong”, clarified Meghachandra, who is also the president of MPCC, while speaking to the media at the Congress Bhawan in Imphal.
“Is there a law that an MLA cannot enter an SP office, take photos and videos?” he questioned, stating that the question of hampering the case is out of context.
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He further clarified that his statement made before the media on that particular day is not against the SP, but was a healthy suggestion to the state government.
Regarding the production of 28 police personnel who were involved in NDPS cases during the Congress regime by the chief minister, he said, “We don’t stop the government from handing over those cases to the CBI. Please stop digging into history to cover a big issue.”
He said, in fact, the Congress party wants all those NDPS cases involving government functionaries from 2012 till date to be handed over to the CBI as hope has perished in the investigation taken up by the state government.
Citing the handing over of the old Pallel drug haul case involving a former Army PRO and the Tulihal drug haul case involving a relative of former CM Ibobi to CBI while Ibobi himself was the CM, he said Congress never retreated in handling drug-related cases.
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Encountering the CM’s allegation of mass poppy plantation since the Congress regime, he told the CM to reconsider his allegation by going through the Remote Sensing Satellite Mapping of the last 10 years and in consultation with experts.
Recalling the release of a foreign drug lord involved in the biggest drug haul case of the state, recovering drugs amounting to Rs 400 crore and also the release of Lhukhosei Zou who was considered to be the kingpin of a multi-drug haul case, he said it clearly shows that there is a big loophole in investigation and prosecution by state government.
Considering all the facts, the Congress party demanded handing over the recent Pallel drug haul case involving CDO personnel to CBI, he added.
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Veteran politician O Joy said that slapping a criminal case against a person who pointed out the lapse of the state government is quite unfortunate.
In fact, in a democratic country, the police should act as per their wisdom and not on the orders of ministers or MLAs, he said, adding, “FIR against MLA Meghachandra amounts to breach of privilege thereby causing the contempt of the House of the Manipur Assembly”.
