INDIA Bloc, Manipur comprising 10 political parties of the state on Thursday torn down PM Modi’s speech in Rajya Sabha with sharp reactions accusing the Prime Minister of India as ill informed.
While speaking at the Congress Bhavan in Imphal on Thursday, stalwart Congress leader in the state O Ibobi Singh expressed serious doubts about the factual validity of 11,000 FIRs mentioned by the Prime Minister of India.
Ibobi said that filing of FIRs alone could not be held as a yardstick of the government’s efforts in bringing peace and normalcy in the state.
He expressed suspicion that many among those 11,000 FIRs were simply initiated by internally displaced people whose houses have been burnt down during the course of riot. Internally displaced people often requested FIRs from the concerned Police Station in the hope of getting compensation for their lost properties, the former CM said.
While commenting on PM Modi’s statement that schools and colleges are functioning in the state and this is a mark of returning normalcy in the state, Ibobi said more than 60,000 people are still languishing in the relief camps. It is a wrong concept given to the Prime Minister of India, he added.
“No one knows if the state government is alive or not, and if it is able to control the law and order of the state”, said Ibobi, adding that people are confused.
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“Something was also mentioned about dialogue between state government, centre government and stakeholders, but it was also not clear whether they are talking through phone or CM, we don’t know, as ten political parties have urged for appointment with PM many times”, Ibobi said.
CPI leader L Shotinkumar described the speech of PM Modi as too little too late saying it is high time PM Modi should visit the state as he can find time to visit Assam twice.
Sotinkumar accused the PM stating that he doesn’t want political solutions or political dialogue but that he (PM) wants to extend the Manipur crisis and destroy the state.
“When the Parliament was on fire with the Manipur issue, the Prime Minister expressed simple speech without any seriousness taking up numbers of FIRs and arrests. It shows he want military solution, not peace solution”, Sotinkumar said.
He also claimed that taking off all power of CM and excluding him from a meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah shows that article 355 is implemented in Manipur.
Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president K Meghachandra said it found Modi’s statement that the opposition is stoking the fire in Manipur is ill conceived and “totally out of touch with ground realities”.
Both Ibobi Singh and K Meghachandra stated that “ten times President Rule” in the past has nothing to do with the present crisis.
Former CM Ibobi also said that a delegation of all political parties is trying to meet the Prime Minister for a long time and they have already approached the office of the Governor and the chief minister for the same.
