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Imphal, Oct 31 (IANS) Former Manipur chief minister and veteran Congress leader Okram Ibobi Singh on Friday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of being responsible for the prolonged unrest and deepening communal divide in the state and said the current unrest is “the inevitable outcome of the wrong policies and political arrogance of the BJP”.
Singh, a three-time former chief minister (2002–2017), asserted that the ethnic unrest in Manipur is “an inevitable consequence of the BJP’s wrong policies, misgovernance and political overconfidence”.
Several senior Congress leaders, including former Chief Minister Singh, spoke at a commemorative event organized by the Manipur Pradesh Congress at the Congress Bhawan to mark the 150th birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and the 41st death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.
The veteran Congress leader said the BJP’s attempts to show normalcy through public events and festivals like the upcoming Sangai Mahotsav cannot hide the pain and insecurity of thousands of displaced people living in relief camps in the state.
Singh commented, “The government may try to demonstrate peace in Manipur before the nation, but the people of the state know the reality. The state is still bleeding, and the government has failed miserably to fix it.”
The former chief minister said even issues that had a clear roadmap under the previous Congress-led UPA government, such as India-Myanmar border fencing, have been handled with gross incompetence under the BJP government.
He said that during 2010-2011, the UPA government at the Center had sanctioned funds for 10 km of fencing work and the Free Movement Regime (FMR), which allowed limited cross-border movement under former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, was rationalized to 10 km to maintain a balance between security and people-to-people contact.
Singh claimed that the BJP’s way of handling border matters has not only confused the policies but also alienated communities in Manipur.
Accusing the BJP of ‘dividing communities for political gains’, he said the ruling BJP’s silence and indecision during the state’s worst humanitarian crisis in decades reflects a complete breakdown of governance.
The former CM said, “BJP leaders promised peace, but spread anarchy. They talked about honesty, but ruined trust.”
Singh, who is also the Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader, said Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel played a major responsibility in unifying the princely states into one country.
He said, “Indira Gandhi displayed strength, determination and decisive leadership and worked for the harmony and integrity of the country.”
Manipur Congress President Keesham Meghchandra Singh and other party leaders paid floral tributes to the portraits of the two leaders.
Congress leaders and workers also took a collective pledge to safeguard the unity and integrity of the country.
–IANS
SC/KHz