Border row: CPI turns the table on BJP
Source: Hueiyen News Service / NNN
Imphal, November 19 2013:
Days after the state unit of BJP heavily came down against the Manipur CPI unit over the contentious Indo-Myanmar Border Fencing issue, the latter on Tuesday hit back on the former, saying its present president Th Chaoba was a MP during the NDA rule which was responsible for the 'June 18' episode.
N Mangi, member, CPI National Council and former minister addressing pressmen at the Irawat Bhavan here, said the BJP is not fit to give advice to a party like CPI that has not done anything to disintegrate the state like the BJP did.
The faceoff comes after BJP president Chaoba through the media recently accused the CPI of trying to turn away from the boundary issue.
Mangi rejected the allegations levelled against CPI by Chaoba that the party was a part of the coalition Government (Secular Progressive Front) headed by O Ibobi Singh, therefore it was aware about the approval given by the Chief Minister for the border fencing.
He also made it clear that CPI was not part of the Steering Committee nor the then state Cabinet had discussed the border fencing.
The Chief Minister being the chairman of the state Wildlife Board might have given the approval under the Forest Conservation Act, 1972 .
However the CPI does not believe that Ibobi had done it with an aim to cede Manipur land to Myanmar, he said.
The Chief Minister has convened the next round of All
Political Party meeting to discuss the border issue on November 24 and the party hopes Ibobi will make further clarification on the allegations in the meeting.
"The best thing we can do I believe is to put pressure on the Centre to address the border issue by the All Political Party delegation by joining hands with the national leaders of all the parties.
The All Political Party delegation from the state is planning to submit a memorandum to the Prime Minister on the issue on December 1 .