Time to make final stand to centre: Maheshwar
Source: Chronicle News Service

Imphal, January 22 2024: Although almost everyone is aware of the ins-and-outs of the on-going conflict in Manipur after more than eight months, the union government has not taken up any concrete action to end the conflict.

As such, the time to discuss the matter amongst ourselves is long overdue.

The political parties in Manipur now need to go to Delhi and give an ultimatum to either take action or else no political party will be allowed in the state ever again, Republican Party of India (Athawale) national secretary Maheshwar Thounaojam has asserted.

Addressing a press meet the RPI (Athawale) Manipur office, Keishampat, here, on Monday afternoon, Maheshwar commended leaders of the opposition for discussing the prevailing conflict with the chief minister and other ministers/ MLAs on Sunday.

He continued that such meetings should have been held frequently early on.

However, the meeting on Sunday seemed to have ignored the final steps that could be taken up to end the violence.

Previously, union home minister Amit Shah and even the NIA had admitted about involvement of external elements in the on-going conflict.

Instead of discussing this matter, imposition of Article 355 seemed to have been the priority.

Discussion on the centre's lack of attention to the conflict and killings of civilians and central forces by Kuki militants should have been the focus of the meeting and reason to urge the centre to act, he asserted.

Mentioning of the recent murders of four firewood collectors in Haotak, Maheshwar said that the central forces were located at a distance of only 200 metres from the incident site.

As such, this raises posers on accountability of central forces.

Furthermore, many state forces have been killed in Moreh but the central forces deployed in the border town are yet to take any action.

Meanwhile, CM Biren censured the central forces that they are not in the state to be spectator.

If a state's leader makes such statements, who are the people supposed to trust, he questioned, while asking if the final objective is to annihilate all the Meeteis and then include a chapter in history books about an extinct Meetei civilisation.

Stating that it is no longer time for political leaders to hold discussions in closed rooms, Maheshwar invited all political parties to go Delhi and inform the centre for the last time to take concrete action, failing which no political party would be allowed to set foot in Manipur.

He urged for showing a united stand on the matter for the sake of our future generations.

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