Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 11:
Strongy castigating the State political leaders for maintaining a deafening silence over the statement of the Union Home Minister and the Defence Minister that the AFSPA will not be lifted from the State, the Apunba Lup today said that the so called political leaders have forfeited the moral right to pay respect to the martyrs of the soil on August 13.In a statement , the Apunba Lup asked the people to stay away from all Govt sponsored function on Patriots' Day, August 13, as the State leaders have become nothing but stooges of New Delhi.
Instead, the Lup asked the people to join hands and give more teeth to the demand for the revocation of the said Act on the day.
Spelling out its course of action, the Lup has also appealed to all the people to come out on the streets and form human chains all over the place to denounce the imposition of black laws in Manipur on August 15, when the country is set to celebrate its independence day.
The Lup asked the people to form the human chain from 11 am and carry on till 4 pm.
The people have also been asked to raise slogans against the imposition of the AFSPA as well as punishment of the AR men involved in killing Pastor Jamkholet Khongsai and Th Manorama.
Rapping Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil for stating that the Assam Rifles would be withdrawn from the State and will be replaced by the BSF, the Lup said that such statement has no meaning as the AFSPA is used not only by AR but also other Central force.
On the Defence Minister's statement that AFSPA will not be revoked, the statement said that till today the AR personnel are yet to appear before the Upendra Commission and questioned, whether Mukherjee cannot direct them to testify before the Panel.