New Manipur difficult but possible: MP Bimol
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 07 2025: Lok Sabha Member Dr Bimol Akoijam has stated that creating a new peaceful and prosperous Manipur will be difficult but it will be possible.

Speaking at a felicitation function organised by the Manipur Government Services Federation and the Manipur State Pensioners' Union in his honour at the Pensioners Shanglen, Chingamakha, Dr Bimol said that addressing the ills of present day Manipur and creating a new Manipur will face a number of challenges but the task is not impossible.

The violent crisis which erupted on May 3, 2023 is something unprecedented in the history of Manipur.

It is also an opportunity to correct the ills and follies of the past, he stated.

The unprecedented crisis seen today is a culmination of the multitude of crises which rocked the State from time to time in the past and were hushed with ad-hoc measures or temporary solutions instead of resolving them permanently, Dr Bimol said.

When the State is facing such an unprecedented crisis, it's not time for the BJP and the Congress to blame each other.

Ruling a State or Nation means shouldering the responsibility of tackling all challenges, he said.

It is a matter of grave concern that the BJP Government was blaming the Congress party for its failure to work out a solution to the protracted crisis, the Congress MP said.

If the Congress party comes to power and the Congress Government shirks its responsibility on the pretext that the crisis broke out during the BJP Government, the Congress Government cannot be called a responsible Government, he said.

Leaving side differences, all-party delegations went to Delhi and sought solutions when the State faced several major issues in the past.

But the BJP Government did not respond to repeated proposals to send all-party delegations to New Delhi to seek a solution to the present crisis.

This is rather unfortunate, he remarked.

"It looks like the failure to bring a solution to the protracted crisis lies with our inability to come together and present a united face.

"Had we come together, the situation would not have aggravated to such a critical level", he continued.

In a particular incident that took place at Kangpokpi, one officer of Central forces deployed there said that they did not take orders from the Government of Manipur but from Delhi.

The officer should never have talked like this, Dr Bimol rued.

Law and order is a State subject and Central forces deployed in the State must work under the State authority.

This is written clearly in the statute, he said.

"We should stop blaming each other rather we need to work collectively", Dr Bimol said.

Given the fact that Central forces are deployed everywhere across the State, it remains a big question how thousands of houses were allowed to be razed and more than 60,000 people forced to flee their homes, he said.

The crisis has gravely impacted the State's economy.

Some people have been working consistently to dismember Manipur and push the State into complete lawlessness, he said.

Peaceful co-existences means collective development whereas protracted unrest means collective suffering, he added.

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