Shah's assurance not convincing enough : MANPAC
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 06 2019: Maintaining that Union Home Minister Amit Shah's assurance to take up certain measures in order to protect Manipur from CAB is not convincing enough, the MANPAC has announced that a public meeting will be held tomorrow to chalk out the next course of agitation.

Speaking to media persons at AMUCO office this afternoon after their return from Delhi, MANPAC convenor Yumnamcha Dilipkumar gave a detailed account of their meeting with Amit Shah on CAB.

Shah's assurance not convincing enough : MANPAC

During a meeting with the Union Home Minister on December 3 together with Chief Minister N Biren and representatives of some political parties, MANPAC made it clear that CAB should not be implemented in Manipur and other North Eastern States under any circumstances.

In response, Amit Shah assured that just as States/areas where ILPS or 6th Schedule is in force would not be covered by the CAB, a similar mechanism would be formulated so that Manipur is protected from the Bill, Dilipkumar conveyed.

However, nothing was spoken or discussed about any protective mechanism for Manipur when the Union Cabinet approved the CAB on December 4 .

This implied that Amit Shah's assurance was never given officially, remarked the MANPAC convenor.

Given the critical situation, a public meeting would be held tomorrow, he said.

NEFIP convenor Ningthouja Lancha who was also present at the press meet said that illegal immigrants already settled in the North East would be naturalised once the CAB is passed and it would also open a floodgate of further influx.

6th Schedule is not effective enough for checking settlement of outsiders.

Same is the case with Inner Line Permit System too, Lancha said.

Amit Shah asked Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who was also present at the meeting whether pass and permit system or NRC would be applicable to Manipur but the MANPAC delegates neither said yes nor no, he conveyed.

Amit Shah reportedly stated that CAB and NRC are a combined package and foreigners naturalised through CAB would not allowed to settle in Manipur, and added that something unexpected by the people of Manipur would be there when CAB is tabled in the Parliament.

However, the MANPAC delegates pointed out that ILPS, NRC and CAB are all different, Lancha said.

It is a matter of grave concern that the Government used tactics which tend to suppress people's voice when MANPAC tried to give an account of their meeting with Amit Shah to the people of Manipur.

CSOs and political parties (both Opposition and ruling) held a joint meeting with Amit Shah at Delhi under a very congenial atmosphere and all the concerns of the people of Manipur were highlighted, Lancha said.

But when the team reached Imphal, it appeared that they went to Delhi separately.

The Chief Minister and the MANPAC delegates came back in the same flight.

It was rather unfortunate that three MANPAC delegates namely; L Jadumani, Mangcha Haokip and Th Saratchandra who had returned in another morning flight were picked up by a police team from Imphal airport and detained for sometime in the office of the Imphal West SP, he decried.

"We learnt about the detention when we were at Guwahati airport and we were even advised to abort our return to Imphal as a police team was awaiting our return at the Imphal airport", Lancha continued.

Some elements might have misinformed police and the Government that the MANPAC delegates would ignite public uproar.

But this was not true.

"We left for Delhi after offering prayer to the Khwairamband market deity and on our return, we were planning to give a detailed account of our meeting with the Union Home Minister to the public at Khwairamband", said the NEFIP convenor.

He said that he heard about police harassing leaders of women vendors of Khwairamband market by collecting their personal details and mobile phone numbers.

He then urged the Government not to see the CSOs as enemies of the State and also to review its suppressive approach.

All the people of Manipur need to be highly alert till December 9 .

However, if the State Government continues with its suppressive approach, a very unwanted situation may unfold, he warned.

As the second MANPAC team led by Dilipkumar landed at Imphal airport, a team of police could be seen trying to take them away.

Nonetheless, they somehow hired a taxi and came together to the office of AMUCO at Kwakeithel but they were still followed by police.

Even as the MANPAC delegates were addressing media, police personnel were seen keeping a watch outside the AMUCO office.