Cong refutes BJP's charge on ILPS
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, April 16 2019: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has rejected rival BJP's charge that the Inner Line Permit System (ILPS) was withdrawn from Manipur when Congress party was in power at the Centre.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, MPCC spokesman Hareshore Goswami contended that the ILPS was never implemented in Manipur under the Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation 1873.A permit system was in force in Manipur during the British colonial period since 1879 and it was withdrawn in 1950 as it became obsolete but it was not ILPS, Hareshore said.

He challenged Chief Minister N Biren that he would retire from electoral politics if the Chief Minister can prove that ILPS was withdrawn from Manipur when the Congress party was in power.

He also demanded a clarification from the Chief Minister on the matter.

Congress party supported the public demand for protection of indigenous people.

It was the Congress Government which passed the Protection of Manipur People Bill in 2015 along with two complementary Bills.

But the Protection of Manipur People Bill 2015 was rejected by the BJP-led Central Government and the same move smacked of political conspiracy.

Nonetheless, Congress party supported the Manipur People Bill 2018 when the same Bill was tabled in the State Assembly.

Again, the BJP-led Central Government has been literally sleeping over the new Bill, Hareshore decried.

In addition, BJP has been blaming Congress party for imposition of AFSPA 1958, reduction of Manipur to the level of a Part C State, transfer of Kabaw Valley to Myanmar, Manipur-Myanmar border row and a document signed between UNIC and Congress in 1972.But all these charges are lies aimed at hoodwinking the masses, he contended.

AFSPA 1958 replaced the Armed Forces Special Powers Ordinance which was promulgated during the British colonial people.

AFSPA automatically comes into force in any area which has been declared 'disturbed'.

Again, it was the Congress Government which lifted AFSPA from Imphal Municipal Corporation areas in 2004, Hareshore pointed out.

He then asked the BJP-led State Government as to why AFSPA has not been lifted from other areas of the State if they think that the State's law and order situation has improved remarkably.

Regarding Part C status, Hareshore said that it was not only Manipur which was reduced to Part C State status.

Even Delhi, Himachal Pradesh and Tripura were also categorised as Part C States.

Kabaw Valley was transferred to Myanmar by the British colonial rulers in 1834 .

For the loss of Kabaw Valley, British empire paid annual compensation to the king of Manipur.

But the payment of compensation was terminated with the lapse of British paramountcy in 1947, Hareshore said.

India and Myanmar signed a boundary agreement in 1967 and it was based on the report of a commission constituted in 1896.The report was jointly drafted by the Political Agent, Superintendent of State, Commissioner Lt Col H Maxwell and Upper Chindwin Commissioner's Officiating Deputy Commissioner Captain JCD Macnabb.

As per the agreement signed in 1967, border pillars were not erected at some place and this is the primary reason for the border row between Manipur and Myanmar, Hareshore said.

Dismissing BJP's charge that Congress party supports Naga integration which is based on a document signed between Congress and UNIC in 1972 as preposterous, the MPCC spokesman said that the then UNIC had merged with Congress party and matters related to them had been closed.

There are many Naga bodies which have been in existence even before UNIC and BJP has been conniving with these Naga bodies to create confusion among the people of Manipur, he asserted.

Now BJP has been creating fear psychosis among the masses by misinterpreting Congress party's promise regarding Law on Asylum.

BJP which is driven by the ideology of Hindutva deliberately picked up the Law on Asylum so as to divert public attention from CAB.

The proposed Law on Asylum is yet to be tabled in Parliament and it would never compromise National interest, he asserted.

This law is quite different from the one being championed by BJP which respects neither human rights nor international law, Hareshore said.

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