Imphal, July 29: The recent visit of Chief Minister O Ibobi to New Delhi to press for the revocation of the Disturbed Area Act from the State has come a cropper as New Delhi has refused to pass any comment on the matter.

Disclosing this to The Sangai Express a well placed source said that the meetings that the Chief Minister had with Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil, Union Defence Minister Pranab Mukherjee and AICC president Sonia Gandhi did not yield any positive response.

Chief Minister O Ibobi who spent four days at New Delhi to present the case of Manipur returned yesterday and till today, the Cm has been maintaining a stoic silence over his meetings with the Central leaders.

The CM returned yesterday along with Rajya Sabha MP Rishang Keishing and FCS Minister Ph Parijat.

Efforts by The Sangai Express to contact the Chief Minister and the FCS Minister drew blank.

According to sources, when the Chief Minister and Ph Parijat met the Central leaders, they were told in clear cut terms that the decision to lift the Disturbed Area Act lies with the State Government and the Centre does not have anything much to comment on the matter.

Till date the State Cabinet has not met to discuss the matter of lifting the Disturbed Area Act from the State.

The Chief Minister, in the presence of Union MoS for Home Prakash Jaiswal had earlier announced that a definite decision on whether to lift the Act or not will be taken by August 15.Sources further informed that the Chief Minister will again leave for New Delhi soon to exert pressure on the Centre to lift the said Act as soon as possible.

Comment