State BJP 'turns table' on MUTA, questions its leader
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 30 2018: BJP State Unit has demanded Professor I Tomba, president of MUTA to clarify as to under whose pressure he decided to decline a meeting with Chief Minister N Biren Singh, even though he (Tomba) initially accepted an official letter from the Chief Minister to take part in a dialogue for bringing a conclusion to the Manipur University issue.

Speaking to media persons at BJP State unit office at Canchipur today, the party spokesperson Chongtham Bijoy said that on September 27, a discussion programme on the current MU issue was carried on NE Live with various panellists.

One among them, MUTA president Prof I Tomba claimed during the show that the agitators would respond properly if the Chief Minister took up necessary initiative for dialogue, Bijoy claimed.

Lauding the proposal of Prof Tomba, the Chief Minister sent a formal letter requesting for a meeting the next day (10 am, September 28) to bring an end to the university issue.

Even though Prof I Tomba and his team assured that they would come for the meeting, they failed to turn up for the meeting and left the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers and officials concerned waiting in vain, the spokesperson said.

Bijoy continued that Prof Tomba later sent a letter apologising that they will not be able to come as they are taking part in a general body meeting of MUTA and claimed that he also included additional conditions in the letter which were completely new.

Demanding the president of MUTA to clarify as to why he changed his decision within an hour and under whose pressure he changed his stance, the BJP spokesperson alleged that if Prof Tomba fails to clarify, it will raise questions regarding the presence of a powerful force within Manipur University.

On the other hand, Bijoy questioned why the Congress party is allegedly adding more fuel to the fire around the Manipur University issue and recalled that the Congress party had formed a high power committee to investigate the university issue on June 18 with the committee chairman Gaikhangam claiming that the committee's purpose was to unearth thetruth regarding the fiasco.

However, on June 19, the high power c6mmittee organised a field visit to the university and there, the committee claimed that the charges against AP Pandey are 100 percent true.

Is this the process of investigating to find out the truth or is it not an attempt to add more fuel to the fire, Bijoy questioned.

On the other hand, Bijoy claimed that the notion that RSS or BJP appointed AP Pandey as the VC of the university is false and explained that MHRD constitutes a search committee which supervised an interview and an interaction programmes for the appointment of a VC for the university.

During the said programme, many outside officials, as well as Professor Raj Mohon, Yugindro and N Loken were also present as candidates.

As per the recommendation of the committee, the President of the country at that time, Pranab Mukherjeee, who is also the Visitor of MU, appointed Professor AP Pandey as the new VC.

Bijoy then alleged that on June 19, at a time when no one was allowed to enter Manipur University campus due to the prevailing unrest at the time, All India Youth Congress, led by its president Keshav Chand Yadav, went to the campus and organised a rally thus politicising the issue and cooking up further unrest.

In light of all these, can the Congress party still claim that it does not have a hand in the university issue, Bijoy asked.

He further claimed that the Chief Minister, in an honest and tireless attempt to end the university issue, made it sure that AP Pandey was given a month's leave.

An independent two men inquiry committee headed by a retired High Court Judge and which had a retired VC as its member, was formed and Pandey was also suspended.

All these show that the Chief Minister is not trying to save or protect Pandey but is trying to bring peace inside Manipur University, he added.

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