The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Saturday refuted the repeated claims made by Chief Minister N Biren Singh that the BJP has restored the relation between the hill and valley and said that the unity and integrity of the state was almost about to disintegrate during the BJP government.
The incidents of June 18, 2001 and framework agreement issue in 2015 clearly proves it, the MPCC said.
MPCC vice president Hareshwar Goshwami said during a press conference at Congress Bhawan that Chief Minister Biren Singh has always claimed of the relation between the hill and valley being restored during the BJP government and questioned that the MPCC would like to know the period of disintegration of relation between various ethnic communities of state.
ALSO READ: Manipur's Great June Uprising Unity Day 2022 observed in Imphal
During the Congress rule, there was no hatred between any communities and many steps were taken up to maintain the age-old relationship of various communities of state, the Congress leader said and cited the annual celebration of Sangai Festival as an example.
“It was during the reign of the BJP government that 18 people lost their lives in June of 2001 to protect the unity and integrity of Manipur. And they gave their lives while calling for insertion of the words ‘Without territorial limit’ in the framework agreement signed between the government of India and NSCN (IM). Not only this, the framework agreement issue in 2015 is also another incident which occurred during the reign of the BJP government,” he stated.
Objecting another statement of N Biren Singh that “only BJP can save Manipur” which the CM made during their recent state executive meeting, he said that most of the founder leaders of BJP don’t have any sense of secularism which is a key component of the constitution of India. Along with this, those leaders are strong supporters of fascism, Hareshwar Goshwami asserted.
The concept of the BJP government is to convert the nation into Hindu Rastriya in the name of building one country one religion, he said while questioning that how this BJP government, which is dangerous like the then Nazi leader, would save Manipur.
ALSO READ: Security personnel found escorting drug traffickers
He further said that during the BJP government in the centre for the last eight years, only hardships have been given to the public instead of development. There is no employment generation, prices of essential commodities have increased, farmers were betrayed and so on. Many communal tensions erupted between various communities. Besides this, cordial relations between neighbouring states that existed at one point of time have eroded, the MPCC VP stated.
He also appealed to chief minister N Biren Singh to punish drug lords as a part of ‘War on Drugs’ mission instead of just arresting small peddlers.