Congress tells MoS Ranjan to resolve boundary row
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, April 17 2023: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCG) senior spokesperson Hareshwar Goswami has said that it would be better for Union minister of state for external affairs Dr RK Ranjan Singh to put efforts for bringing a permanent settlement to the boundary dispute with Myanmar before the end of his ministership.

Addressing media persons at Congress Bhawan, here, on Monday, Haresh war recounted that Union minister Dr RK Ranjan had made accusations against the Congress party of creating boundary dispute in Manipur sector of India-Myanmar international boundary.

RK Ranjan's remark was not only unfortunate but also hurts Congress party and it would be appreciable if the Union minister talked about resolving the boundary dispute during his tenure as the Union minister.

This shows that RK Ranjan is completely unaware of border dispute in Manipur sector of the international boundary, he said.

According to Hareshwar, boundary dispute in Manipur sector of India-Myanmar international border emerged at the beginning of border fencing work on Indian side in 2014 when border villagers and civil society organisations stopped fencing work after large tract of the border area of Manipur fell on the side of Myanmar due to the fencing.

The then SPF government even sent a delegation of all political parties to New Delhi and submitted a memorandum to stop border fencing work till solution of the border dispute.

However, border fencing work resumed immediately after the coming of BJP government in 2017 as if the Central government was awaiting installation of a BJP government in the state, Hareshwar said and strongly disapproved RK Ranjan's allegation against Congress party on border dispute.

In the booklet titled 'Manipur Nation' published in 2003, RK Ranjan questioned government of India's willingness to accept Myanmar's proposal to exchange Mol-cham village with one of their villages.

RK Ranjan even played with sentiments of the people of Manipur on the then issue to earn vote but is now accusing Congress party of creating the border dispute, Hareshwar pointed out and asked if RK Ranjan has taken up any significant step to resolve the border dispute in his more than three years of ministership.

MPCC vice president L Tilotama, who also attended the press conference, told media persons that the BJP's level of spreading false propaganda is very high and they are expert in converting falsehood into truth.

Some BJP leaders could have even attained basic training on spreading false propaganda so that innocent public could fall to their trap, she said.

Reacting sharply to BJP's allegation that Congress party neglected North East and even skipped the region from Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra, L Tilotama said that Congress party never neglected the North East and it was due to geographical position and political structure that the region was excluded from the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

It was during the BJP government that 18 innocent people were killed in Manipur and this incident showcased BJP's neglect of the NE region.

People had high expectation when BJP government converted Look East Policy into Act East Policy but nothing materialised till date and there is a report of shifting trade base from the region to a state in mainland India, she said, adding that the BJP claims of protecting the Constitution when entire people of the country are fully aware of party's repeated distortion of Constitutional and democratic norms.

Comment