Cong asks: Will BJP take responsibility for FA?
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, August 16 2018: Congress party has asked whether the BJP-led coalition Government intends to convene an Assembly session to deliberate on the changing dynamics of the Framework Agreement after a Bill has been passed by the Parliament and some sort of autonomy has been granted to some parts of Manipur.

Speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan here today, CLP leader and ex-Chief Minister Okram Ibobi rued that the State Government stubbornly rejected the Congress party's repeated appeals to extend the Assembly session of July 20-23 by at least three/four days so that the burning issues of the State could be discussed threadbare.

There has been many developments with respect to the Framework Agreement after the latest resolution of the State Assembly which reaffirmed the earlier resolutions that any solution to the GoI-NSCN(IM) political dialogue should not contain anything which may challenge the integrity of Manipur now or later.

"With regard to the changing dynamics of the Framework Agreement, Congress party made repeated appeals to allow us give present observations in the State Assembly but the Government denied us any such opportunity", Ibobi decried.

Sensing the Government's reluctance to discuss any of these issues in the State Assembly, the Speaker did not give and also refused to extend the session.

Subsequently, Congress MLAs walked out of the House, Ibobi recalled.

After the State Cabinet adopted a decision to hold an extended or special session of the Assembly on August 10, Congress party was awaiting notification for Business Advisory Committee meeting.

But the Government postponed the proposed session to August 16 which has been again postponed indefinitely.

"As a responsible opposition party we cannot understand the Chief Minister's statement that there is no need to emergency Assembly session as no Bill on the Framework Agreement was passed during the recently concluded Parliament session", said the ex-Chief Minister.

Asking whether the Assembly session should be convened only when a Bill has been tabled in the Parliament, Ibobi asserted that the State Assembly should adopt a resolution to the effect that the contents of the proposed Bill should be informed to all concerned States and civil organisations, and Article 371A should not be applied to Manipur.

The same resolution should be forwarded to the Central Government before the Bill is tabled in Parliament, he said.

Taking strong exception to how the State Government has been taking the issue very casually, he went on to ask whether the State Government will say they don't care for the future.

What is the point in holding Assembly session if an autonomous council has been already granted, he asked and questioned the Government's position on the issue.

He further asked if the BJP-led coalition Government is ready to bear full responsibility for their claim that the Framework Agreement contains nothing inimical to the interest of Manipur.

Reacting to a claim of one BJP leader who said during a panel discussion programme of a local TV channel that P Chidambaram must be knowing the contents of the Framework Agreement by virtue of being the Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Home Affairs, Ibobi remarked that the BJP leader apparently does not well the committee's role.

BJP MP K Bhabananda is also a member of the committee whose role is restricted to collect reports from Interlocutor RN Ravi and present the same reports to the Central Government, Ibobi continued.

It is the Congress's stand that the Framework Agreement should be devoid of any element which may challenge the integrity of Manipur.

Until the issue is settled amicably, Congress will continue with different modes of democratic agitation and the BJP-led Government would not be allowed to run away from the issue, he added.

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