Manipur: Congress to petition Centre to protect state’s integrity, withdraw Citizenship Bill
Former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh was addressing a protest meeting on ‘Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (IM) and government of India and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016’ today at Congress Bhawan in Imphal. (Source: Jimmy Leivon) Former Manipur CM Okram Ibobi Singh was addressing a protest meeting on ‘Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (IM) and government of India and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016’ today at Congress Bhawan in Imphal. (Source: Jimmy Leivon)
Former chief minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh said on Wednesday that the state Congress party will support any kind of accord unless and until it does not affect the interests of Manipur. Ibobi Singh was addressing a protest meeting on ‘Framework Agreement signed between NSCN (IM) and government of India and the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016’ today at Congress Bhawan in Imphal.
He opined that the recent statement of interlocutor for Naga peace talks, R.N. Ravi, on the formation of Naga Territorial Council in the state would be the foundation to disintegrate the state’s territorial integrity.
Asking the NDA government to stop playing communal politics in the state for political gain, he said Manipur does not belong to a single community. “It belongs to all the indigenous communities living in the state. But unfortunately, the Centre is trying to give territorial council based on only one community.”
He urged the NDA government to stop playing with sentiments of people and come out clean on the framework agreement signed between the NSCN-IM and Government of India on August 3, 2015. He added that unlike R.N Ravi, the interlocutor during the UPA government consulted with the state government on every development on the Naga peace talks.
Senior Congress legislator and former deputy CM Gaikhangam felt that there could be a hidden agenda behind the ‘Framework Agreement’ and the ‘Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016’. He dared the Centre to disclose the content of the framework agreement as assured by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Manipur.
Gaikhangam maintained that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 can be detrimental to small states like Manipur which is confronted with the menace of immigrant influx.
He alleged that the Bill is a part of RSS plan to merge the minorities to majority community of the country.
The meeting also resolved to submit a memorandum to the Joint Parliamentary Committee, Prime Minister and Home Minister for withdrawal of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016.
At the same time, to urge the Centre and leaders of political parties to safeguard the interest of the Manipur.
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