As CM it's my duty to save Manipur: Biren
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, September 17 2024: "As the Chief Minister of Manipur, it is my duty to save the State and the people", Chief Minister N Biren stated at the golden jubilee celebration of the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) on September 17 .

The golden jubilee celebration held at Manipur Press club here commenced with offering of floral tributes to departed journalists by AMWJU members and family members of the departed journalists at the Journalist Memorial Pillar.

Speaking on the occasion, Chief Minister N Biren noted that Manipur is now passing through a very distressing situation with hundreds of people killed, many others wounded, many missing and thousands displaced.

Chief Minister N Biren at the golden jubilee celebration of the All Manipur Working Journalists' Union (AMWJU) :: Photo by Khaba Kh

Highlighting the recent violent protest at Kakwa in which a pregnant woman lost her unborn child while she is currently undergoing treatment in a critical condition, Biren said that some small but unfortunate incidents were witnessed in the valley.

"It's time for all of us to come together and avoid mistakes and unwanted incidents", he said.

"I'm not the man who would not listen when someone points out my mistakes and forward suggestions in proper manner", Biren said.

As many old civil society organisations of Manipur know the present crisis thoroughly, they have been controlling themselves but there were groups of people from outside Imphal among the protesters at Kakwa.

They came to politicise the protest, he said.

Pointing out that the media is the fourth pillar of the Nation, the Chief Minister expressed keen desire for media houses to see that panel discussion programmes maintain decency.

Biren said that he wants panel discussion programmes to focus on constructive ideas and restoration of peace in the State.

He reiterated that illegal immigrants and drug mafias have their hands in the Manipur crisis.

"Just because some people have opened fire, we cannot strike them back in revenge.

As a State under India, we cannot do that but many people have been speaking as if Manipur is an independent country beyond India", he said.

It is unfortunate that the present crisis is being portrayed as a fight against the Kuki community.

This is not true.

The fight is against illegal immigrants and drug mafias, Biren stated.

Although the violence was portrayed as a communal/ethnic conflict during the initial phase, people have eventually started understanding that the violence is not an ethnic conflict, he said.

Thadou people, based outside India and abroad, have come forward for a virtual interaction on the protracted violence on September 21, Biren said.

He asserted that there is no enmity among the 34 communities which have been living together in Manipur since a long time back.

The Government did not do anything against them nor did they do any harm to the Government, he added.

In the course of the War on Drugs campaign, drugs worth around Rs 60,000 crore were seized and 18,000 hectares of poppy plantations were destroyed, he said.

For any Chief Minister, it is only natural to work for protection of his people and the State, he reiterated.

AMWJU president Bijoy Kakchingtabam said that there are many among the journalists who have been working as both journalists and youtubers and these people have been sharing confusing news and information on social media.

Other youtubers who are not journalists are also reporting from the ground with cameras and wearing jackets embossed with the word 'press' thereby creating unnecessary obstacles to journalists, Bijoy said.

On account of unfiltered contents, unverified reports and wrong information shared by youtubers on social media, journalists have been portrayed as unscrupulous and bereft of any ethics, the AMWJU president said.

He also appealed to police to verify whether people who come wearing 'press' jackets to cover public agitation and others are genuine journalists or not.

Saying that frequent shut down of internet and mobile data service cripples the journalists, the AMWJU president urged the Government to exempt journalists from any future internet shutdowns.

Editors' Guild Manipur (EGM) president Khogendra Khomdram expressed strong reservation against sharing of indecent and unparliamentary statements on social media.

At one point of time in the past, when the State's journalists union was on the point of breaking apart into two, the two groups somehow came together and nominated N Biren as the AMWJU president without holding elections and he took up several measures for the welfare of the journalist fraternity, Khogendra said.

AMWJU general secretary Athokpam Jiten said that AMWJU was set up in 1974 .

He said that the union has been celebrating its golden jubilee since last year in an academic manner, not in the form of merrymaking.

IPR Minister Dr Sapam Ranjan who is also the chief patron of the AMWJU Golden Jubilee Celebration Committee too attended the function as a guest of honour.

Apart from a souvenir on AMWJU's golden jubilee, a book titled "Know your sanctuary and wetlands" was also released at the function.