The Manipur Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has blamed the then Congress government for the present Suspension of Operations (SoO) issue, saying that it was signed without maintaining proper ground rule.
The BJP alleged that the SoO agreement between the Central government and Kuki militants was signed during the Congress party rule in 2005. However, an interlocutor was put to negotiate between the government and the SoO militants only after the coming of BJP in Centre, BJP MLA Usham Deben told mediapersons in Imphal on Saturday.
Deben alleged that the violation of SoO is due to the improper implementation of ground rules.
“The Central government used militants under SoO as a weapon to get information for the non-SoO Naga and Meitei militants,” he further alleged.
ALSO READ: Manipur violence is political, should be solved politically: Manipur CPI
Till date, militants under SoO are looting the public and government officers openly, including along the national highways from the public, Deben alleged.
“If the SoO militants are in a controllable stage under negotiation, then the agreement is good for the public. However, SoO militants will be taken against the state if they are in an uncontrollable state,” Deben added.
After the BJP came to power in Manipur, the United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) chairman, in an annexure submitted to the court, mentioned that “Since the day of the SoO all my cadres have being stayed in the designated camp by observing all the Do’s and Don’ts of the ground rules of the ‘SoO’. That we signed the ‘SoO’ with GOI with a great hope and expectation of leading a normal and lawful life in the mainstream of the society”.
Interestingly the UKLF also mentioned its support to the BJP party in the Manipur Legislative Assembly election, 2017 as agreed upon with two BJP central leaders, Deben pointed out.
Deben also alleged that the visit of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to Manipur was to escalate the ongoing violence and not a peace visit.
ALSO READ: I share the pain of Manipur, let's talk peace and move toward peace: Rahul Gandhi
Concerning the law-and-order situation in Manipur, the state government had arranged a chopper for Rahul Gandhi to travel to Churachandpur due to the recent IED blast in Bishnupur district, Deben said.
However, the state Congress arranged an on-road transportation for Rahul Gandhi without informing the state government, Deben said and questioned if the Congress was going to blame the BJP government if any untoward incident that happened with the Congress leader on his way to Churachandpur.
Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Manipur was not meant to bring peace but he came to get political mileage for the party, Deben alleged.
After his visit to Churachandpur and Moirang, Rahul Gandhi did not meet CM Biren to give feedback for his visit, Deben said, adding that the Congress should stop playing political drama at this juncture.
