BJP has failed in every aspect: MPCC vice president
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, September 19 2023:
The BJP Government in the State has failed in every aspect.
There is no law and order in some hill districts.
Even as it claims peace is returning, the Government has no vision and road-map to end the crisis and restore normalcy, said Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) vice president K Tilotama Devi.
In an apparent response to what BJP Manipur vice president N Nimbus and other leaders said in a press meet yesterday, K Tilotama said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a party that is nearing its end and they can't keep track of what their Ministers and MLAs are doing.
Speaking to reporters at the residence of Advocate RK Sumitra at Singjamei Chongtham Leikai, she said "People are laughing at what the BJP Manipur vice president N Nimbus and other leaders said in an interview yesterday" .
She said the Congress party is not trying to gain any political mileage amid the present crisis in Manipur.
However, it will not remain as a mute spectator to what the BJP has been doing against the wishes of the people to "disintegrate Manipur" .
Tilotama said "The Congress party has never negatively intervened and created obstacles to the BJP in the present crisis.
Had the Congress intervened, it would have given a new dimension to the people's movement.
Even though the Congress could have acted and spoken out against the BJP on many fronts, it did not, to ease the unrest" .
She stressed that the BJP should know that the Congress party has been exercising restraint while criticising it [BJP] to help ease the unrest and put out the fire.
If the Congress had spoken out about all the political failures of the BJP, the present situation could have spiralled into a much larger crisis.
Tilotama said the BJP doesn't go by the slogan or the idea of "Nation first" .
She said State BJP vice president Nimbus and spokesperson Johnson Elangbam had accused the Congress of politicising the present crisis.
They also accused Rahul Gandhi of taking advantage of the crisis and attempting to gain political mileage.
When Rahul Gandhi visited Manipur, he did not carry or display any Congress flag.
The Congress leader visited Manipur for he has genuine concern for the people who have been affected by the violence.
It was his and Congress' effort to address the plight of the victims and end the crisis, Tilotama said.
Youth Congress, Mahila Congress and NSUI, all the wings of the Congress party have been visiting relief camps and providing relief materials to the displaced people.
Congress doesn't see the need to flash its deeds.
Its organisations are providing assistance for they have genuine concern for the displaced people, she said.
The Congress supports the Government's war on drugs.
The Congress and the people agree to the fact that the war on drugs is one of the reasons that has caused the present crisis.
However, it is the BJP's failure that has caused and prolonged this crisis, she said.
Tilotama said it is the BJP MLAs and Ministers who have openly sought a "separate administration" that would disintegrate Manipur's territorial integrity.
The 10 elected Members who have demanded separate administration for Kukis include 7 BJP MLAs including two Ministers.
Pointing accusing fingers at Congress when it is their own MLAs who have demanded separate administration is appalling.
This proves that they don't know themselves and how clueless they are about their own Ministers and MLAs, Tilotama said.
She continued that the present crisis has dragged on due to lack of coordination between the Centre and the State Government.
"There seems to be a lack of coordination in the double engine Government.
They seem to be going in separate directions," she said.
Despite his promise to the people to return in 15 days time in May, Union Minister Amit Shah has not returned to Manipur.
While the Home Minister has not kept his promise, the Congress party, on the other hand, has not changed its position on Manipur's integrity.
The Congress stands firm for Manipur's integrity and it will never compromise its stand, said Tilotama.
Further, portraying statements of former Congress leaders of other States as Congress' statements is unfortunate, she said.
Chief Minister N Biren Singh is a former Congress leader and so is Govindas Konthoujam.
Portraying what they say as Congress' statement will be wrong, she added.
Commenting on the shutdown imposed in connection with the arrests of five village volunteers, Tilotama said they should be released.