Ibobi questions BJP's inaction on AFSPA
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 11 2019: Asserting that the BJP-led Government may repeal AFSPA 1958 even if the same Act was imposed in the State by Congress Government if they (BJP) are bold and sincere enough, CLP leader and ex-Chief Minister Okram Ibobi pointed out that his Government repealed AFSPA from Imphal Municipal Corporation areas despite strong objection from the then Prime Minister and the UPA Chairperson.

Speaking at an election rally held at Sagolband Moirang Leirak Machin this afternoon, O Ibobi asserted that Congress party would never run away from its actions.

"Even if some wrongs had been done, we would apologise to the people sincerely.

But BJP has been blaming Congress for AFSPA, ILPS etc by conveniently overlooking the fact they can act on these issues if they are bold and sincere enough", Ibobi asserted.

He said that it's right time to teach BJP a befitting lesson which is indulging in cheap propaganda by taking all the people as fools.

Speaking at the election campaign rally of INC candidate O Nabakishore, the ex-Chief Minister asked if BJP has done anything worthwhile apart from hurling all kinds of wild allegations against Congress party.

Ibobi questions BJP's inaction on AFSPA

The NDA Government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been investing crores of rupee in publicity and propaganda but they never bothered to fulfil any of the promises they made to the people, Ibobi said.

The BJP-led State Government's performance in the past two years is also quite similar, he remarked.

He then appealed to BJP to stop publicity and propaganda and shift to action.

It is right that ILPS was withdrawn from Manipur when there was Congress Government.

But again it was Congress Government which passed three Bills in response to a popular demand for re-inforcement of ILPS or a similar mechanism.

Out of the three Bills, one was withheld by the President while the other two are still pending, Ibobi pointed out.

The incumbent Government led by BJP passed the Manipur People Bill 2018 and Congress supported the same Bill.

Pointing out that as there are BJP-led Governments both in the State and the Centre, Ibobi questioned the State Government's failure to obtain Presidential assent to the Manipur People Bill 2018.Reacting to the incumbent's Government claim that it has run into a debt of over Rs 8000 crore on account of borrowing huge amounts by the previous Government, the ex-Chief Minister contended the total debt is accumulation of the amounts borrowed by successive Governments during the past 20-30 years and this includes Rs 2000 crore borrowed by the incumbent BJP-led Government in just two years.

The ensuing election is a battle to save democratic institutions, secularism and the Constitution from the onslaught of BJP and its allies, Ibobi said.

He then appealed to all the electors of Inner Manipur PC to support O Nabakishore and send him to the Lok Sabha so that Rahul Gandhi gains more strength.

MPCC president and ex-Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam asserted that Narendra Modi is the father of all lies.

In the run up to the 2014 Lok Sabha election, BJP promised to bring back black money stashed in foreign banks and deposit Rs 15 lakh each in the bank accounts of poor people.

They also promised to provide jobs to two crore youth in a year but none of these promises have seen the light of day till date, he remarked.

On the contrary, BJP pushed the country's entire population into a sea of misery through demonetisation and introduction of GST.

These drastic measures severely affected the country's economy too, Gaikhangam said.

Every time there is a BJP/BJP-led Government at the Centre, something disastrous always happened in the State.

The saffron party is not suitable to the soil of Manipur.

No one has forgotten about the June 2001 crisis which took place in the State when late Atal Bihari Vajpayee was the Prime Minister, he continued.

This was followed by the Framework Agreement signed by the Modi Government with NSCN-IM in 2015 and introduction of CAB 2016.Notwithstanding the massive protest and vehement opposition raised by every section of people in the entire North East against CAB 2016, BJP, as reflected in their election manifesto, has been promising to bring back the same Bill in case they are elected to power, he added.

Ex-MPCC president TN Haokip, Congress candidate O Nabakishore, MLAs N Loken and RK Imo too spoke at the rally.