Source: The Sangai Express
New Delhi, August 16:
The Centre tonight decided to persist with wait-and-watch on violence-hit Manipur amidst speculation about various options including change of guard and President's rule in the State.
"We took stock of the situation and have decided to wait and watch for a couple of days," Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee told reporters after a 45-minute meeting of Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs (CCPA) chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
Mukherjee, however, declined to take any questions regarding the discussions.
This is for the second time within a week that CCPA met over the developments in Manipur which has been rocked by violent agitation for more than a month demanding withdrawal of AFSPA.
The State had last week withdrawn the Act partially but this move has failed restore peace in the State.
Meanwhile, sources said that the CCPA discussed various measures which included replacing Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh or imposition of Central rule.
But there was no official word on this.
The CCPA also discussed strict enforcement of safeguards laid down in the AFSPA which includes setting up of special judicial process to prevent any violation.