IT News
Imphal, Sept 11:
Former chief minister, O. Ibobi Singh has slammed the state government for not taking up any action with the union government to prevent the unruly activities of the Assam Rifles in breaking up Manipur in part and parcel under the backdrop of the ongoing ethnic crisis in Manipur. Speaking at a press meet of 10 (ten) Opposition Political Parties at the Congress Bhavan today.
O. Ibobi Singh highlighted the bounden duty of the state to protect the lives and properties of its citizens in times of crisis which the state government has failed to do so for the last four months since the ethnic crisis erupted on May 3, 2023. He questioned if the Biren Singh led government has handed over the duty of the government to look after the state of affairs to the CSOs and the Manipur Mothers. Asking where all the constitutional machineries have gone for tackling the sorry state in Manipur, Ibobi voiced for supporting the government in evicting the illegal settlements from the reserved forest areas and the illegal Burmese immigrants from Manipur adding that the opposition parties condemned the sinister design of the Assam Rifles taking sides with the Kuki militants in attacking unarmed Meitei civilians as alleged by the Meira Paibis.
Questioning the long silence of the BJP-led government, Ibobi urged the state government to put pressure on the union home minister to shift away the Assam Rifles from Manipur while outlining that the union government should act now to call on both the communities to immediately shun away violence and pave the way for peace and mutual co-existence. Further, the former chief minister opined for speeding up the border fencing works of the 363 km stretch of the international border. During the press meet, former general secretary of the Communist Party of India, L. Sotinkumar remarked about the failure of the double-engine government in containing the violence in Manipur.
