Stop playing politics on SoO: Cong to BJP
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 09 2023: The Congress party has asked the BJP Government to stop playing petty politics on Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan today, Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) vice president Loitongbam Tilotama said that the BJP should focus on dousing the flame in Manipur instead of putting the entire blame on the Congress for bringing the Kuki militants to the negotiating table.

She further said that the Congress doesn't want to engage in blame games when Manipur is burning since over the last two months nor would people want to hear political statements now.

Tilotama said that Congress however, as a party, has to clarify for the charges levelled against them by the BJP State unit president A Sharda Devi yesterday.

Saying that the saffron party blaming the entire fault of theirs on Congress is unfortunate, Tilotama claimed that the BJP hasn't done anything to restore normalcy in Manipur and the same can be seen in the stoic silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Asking why the BJP is not yet abrogating the SoO pact with Kuki militants if the violence in Manipur was triggered by the agreement, Tilotama claimed that there was no case of Kuki militants violating the ground rules of SoO agreement during the tenure of Congress.

She then asked if Sharda Devi has any proof of Kuki -militants violating the SoO agreement while Congress was in-power.

It seems like the BJP president is not aware of the content.

of the SoO agreement, the Congress leader said and asked Sharda Devi to go through the SoO agreement first before making any comment on it.

It was politically immature for the BJP president to make comments on things which she is not aware of, Tilotama added.

The Kuki militants agreed to protect the unity and integrity.

of Manipur before signing the SoO pact, she said and reit-, erated that there was not a single case of violation of SoO ground rules while Congress was at helm.

Reminding that the Manipur People's Protection Bill passed, on April 31, 2015 was vehemently opposed by the Kukis of Churachandpur and it led to the killing of nine Kukis whose corpses were kept at morgue for nearly a year, Tilotama said that the incident, however, didn't trigger a Meitei-Kuki clash.

If SoO pact is the problem, why is the BJP Government not withdrawing it despite being in power for years, she said and further asked the BJP to understand that it is during then; time the Kuki militants are violating the ground rules of the agreement.

Tilotama further said that the BJP doesn't take up any.

action when 10 MLAs including seven of their MLAs have openly demanded disintegration of Manipur.

The Congress leader also reminded about the disclosure made by the UKLF chairman on BJP using the signatories of SoO pact to win elections.

Further asking the BJP to stop blaming the Congress for.

their misgovemance, she maintained that there is no respite of violence in Manipur even after the visit of Union Home Amit Shah to the State.

The BJP Government is trying to mislead the people about the initiative taken up by 10 political parties to restore peace in Manipur, she said and added that BJP however is busy devising a roadmap to retain power after the 2024 Lok Sabha election instead of bringing peace in Manipur.

Claiming that the BJP has been spreading lies, she said that politics based on lies will not last long.

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