Irom Sharmila's life lies in Cong's hand: Chaoba
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, March 16 2013 :
Reacting against the statement of Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran who ruled out all possibilities of removing AFSPA from Manipur, Th Chaoba, President of BJP, Manipur Pradesh, has categorically exerted that now the question of life and death of Irom Chanu Sharmila lies in the hands of the Congress and its MLAs.
In an exclusive interview with Hueiyen Lanpao, Th Chaoba stated that the demand for repealing AFSPA from the State has remained for quite a long time.
The Jeevan Reddy Commission, which was set up by the Government of India, had even recommended removal of the Act.
Although the Government of India has done nothing on the recommendation of Jeevan Reddy Commission, it was after some Congress MLAs threatened to resign that the State Government single-handedly took the decision of lifting AFSPA from seven assembly segments of Imphal Municipality.
So, this clearly shows that removal of AFSPA from the State of Manipur does not lie in the hands of the Central Government, rather in the hands of the State Government.
Now that Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Mullappally Ramachandran, while replying to a question on the floor of the Parliament, has ruled out possibility of removing AFSPA from Manipur, what the Congress led government and its MLAs in the State are going to do in this regard, the BJP leader questioned.
Pointing out that AFSPA, which was earlier imposed only in the hill areas of Manipur, had been dragged down to the valley districts during the Chief Ministership of RK Dorendro, Chaoba suggested that what the present Congress led Government could do is remove AFSPA from the four valley districts of Manipur as an initial step and then appeal to Sharmila to call off her fast.
"If this sort of steps are not taken up, then the Central Government and the Congress led Government in the State should be held squarely responsible for any untoward incidents arising out of it in future", Chaoba warned.
The time has come for the Congress led Government in the State to take some courageous decisions of its own and not wait for orders to rain down from its High Command at Delhi, the BJP chief said.