Cong alleges nexus
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, June 18 2023:
The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has claimed that the demand being raised by the 10 MLAs to establish a separate administration for Chin-Kuki people is associated with the assurance given by the BJP to Kuki militant groups of giving them a political solution if they (Kuki militant groups) help the saffron party in District Council, State Assembly and Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan at BT Road today, MPCC working president Kh Debabrata said that the exposure by the chairman of United Kuki Liberation Front (UKLF) SS Haokip about the militant group helping the BJP in 2015 District Council election, 2017 State Assembly election and 2019 Lok Sabha election in the letter addressed to Union Home Minister Amit Shah should not be taken lightly.
The said letter has since gone viral.
"People know how true the clarification made by BJP pertaining to the alleged agreement they had with the Kuki militant group is," he said and added that the letter is at the Special Court of NIA as a public document.
It may be mentioned that the State unit of BJP had denied the charges levelled against them by UKLF yesterday.
It's true that the SoO pact was signed during the regime of the Congress party and it was a great achievement as Kuki militants had agreed to not take part in any form of violence and threaten the unity and integrity of the State, Debabrata said.
There was not a case of SoO groups violating the ground rules during the time of Congress, he added.
The Congress leader went on to state that the State Assembly passed three Bills including the People's Protection Bill on April 30, 2015 but the legislation was strongly opposed by a section of people especially in Churachandpur the very next day (May 1) .
Some people were killed in the police firing and there was tension in Churachandpur for about a year, the Congress leader continued and alleged that not a single Kuki militant group, however, violated the ground rules of the SoO agreement during those difficult days while the tension disappeared gradually.
There is also a short clip of the UKLF chairman accusing the BJP of taking their help in elections, he further claimed.
If the letter of the UKLF is fabricated then why is the Indian Government not taking action against him, Debabrata asked and continued that the Union Home Minister is silent about the letter as the BJP indeed had some understanding with the Kuki militant group.
The Congress leader further asked why the BJP Government is not taking any action against UKLF for violating the ground rules of the SoO agreement and engaging in anti-Constitutional activities.
He further asked whether Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sharma has extra Constitutional power to hold dialogue with leaders of Kuki militant groups and political leaders at Guwahati.
Saying that the Assam Chief Minister was trying to dissuade the Kuki militant groups as he had some agreements with them (the militant groups), Debabrata continued that Himanta Biswa doesn't have any right to interfere in the internal affairs of Manipur.
He then asked the BJP to make public what transpired between the Assam Chief Minister and Kuki militant groups during the recent meeting at Guwahati.