Joykumar questions CM's peace assurance
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, September 03 2024:
National People's Party (NPP) national vice-president and former deputy CM Y Joy-kumar has strongly criticised the state government and chief minister N Biren over handling of the ongoing conflict.
Joykumar questioned the CM's recent assurance of peace within six months, asking if this peace was to be achieved by eradicating the Meetei population.
Addressing a press conference at party's Naoremthong office on Tuesday, Joykumar expressed concern over the escalating violence against the Meetei community and emphasised that the methods employed by Kuki militants to attack the Meetei have become increasingly severe.
He warned that at this rate, it would not be long before the Meetei community is wiped out.
Joykumar questioned whether the peace the CM referred to means complete elimination of the Meetei people.
He opined that even if the Central government is not taking action, the state government should adopt stringent measures to curb the violence.
He pointed to the recent attack in Koutruk, which occurred shortly after village volunteers vacated the area following a police crackdown, as reported by local residents.
Joykumar noted that there were strong instructions from the Centre to recover looted arms, and if the government is indeed making efforts to retrieve these weapons, it should ensure adequate security arrangements to prevent further attacks.
Joykumar also reflected on the statements by KNO leader Selien Haokip, claiming that the Central government has not made any remarks about violations Of the Suspension of Operations (SoO) ground rules.
He then accused the state government of violating these rules by pulling out of the agreement.
Joykumar criticised the state government for not responding to these allegations, questioning the accountability of the CM.
He elaborated on signing of the SoO agreement and shared insights from his tenure as DGP.
According to him, there was initially an unofficial agreement between the Assam Rifles and Kuki militants without the knowledge of the state government.
The state police acted against the Kuki militants for their illegal activities and crimes, only to later learn from the Assam Rifles about their agreement with the militants.
As the DGP, he told Assam Rifles that the state police had no knowledge of any peace agreement and insisted that the Assam Rifles restrain the Kuki militants from committing crimes adding that they would use force if any crimes were committed, a stance that was maintained throughout.
Joykumar explained that the Kuki militants and Assam Rifles then approached the Home Ministry to formalise the SoO agreement.
At that time, Sushilkumar Shinde was the home minister, who had a close relationship with the Assam Rifles.
Following instructions from the MHA, the state government had little choice but to agree to the terms of the SoO agreement, as the militants were agreeing to return to normal life.
He recalled being reprimanded by the union home minister when he raised concerns about the ineffectiveness of the Assam Rifles during a meeting of DGPs and IGs.
However, IB officials supported his report.
It was at that time when he entered into politics, that significant increase in criminal activities by Kuki militants under the SoO agreement was seen in the state.
Commenting on the state government's inability to resolve the crisis even after 16 months, Joykumar attributed this failure to the BJP government's electoral politics.
He alleged that the BJP had given unrealistic assurances to Kuki militant groups to gain political support in the state.
He claimed that such secret understandings between the Kuki militants and the BJP had already become public knowledge.
He criticised CM Biren's frequent remark of "Lemna Tharoi",meaning "will not spare," questioning what the CM could actually do when Kuki militants are carrying out drone bombings and seizing arms from state forces.
He noted that the drones used in the Koutruk bombing were of sophisticated technology similar to those seen in the Russia-Ukraine war, suggesting that this matter requires investigation by the defence ministry rather than being solely under the home ministry's purview.
Joykumar also questioned the silence of the two MPs from the state, pointing out that they were elected not by the Congress, but by the people with the expectation of bringing positive changes.
He urged the MPs to meet with union ministers to address the issue and called for the deployment of army personnel with specialised training.
He also urged Outer MP Alfred Kanngam Arthur to use his influence among the Kuki community to explore solutions to the crisis.
Joykumar warned that without such proactive efforts, neither the BJP nor Congress should expect victory in the next state assembly election.
Later, the NPP leaders and members observed a two-minute silence as a tribute to the woman killed in the Koutruk attack and wishing for the speedy recovery of those injured.
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