The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Thursday strongly criticised the statement made by Manipur BJP president A Sharda regarding the demand for separate administration, in which she denied the involvement of BJP MLAs.
According to the MPCC, the statement from the state BJP president is an attempt to shield the 10 MLAs who are demanding separate administration, and it goes against the interests of Manipur.
Addressing the media at the Congress Bhawan in Imphal, the party’s working president Kh Devbrata stated that the state BJP president’s statement is meant to divert attention and confuse the public during the present crisis.
He pointed out, it’s clear that seven BJP MLAs and three MLAs supporting the BJP are demanding separate administration.
While the BJP has blamed Congress, Devbrata emphasised that the BJP and the state government cannot escape responsibility for the ongoing unrest, which has resulted in loss of lives and displacement.
ALSO READ: Manipur BJP president Sharda Devi in denial mode
He added that the public will judge the BJP during the elections.
Regarding Sharda’s claim that the conversion of four Gram Panchayats into Autonomous District Councils and the renaming of Thanging Hill Range to Thangting by the then Congress government are the root causes of the separate administration demand, the working president offered a clear explanation.
He explained that the four GPs in Kangpokpi district already fell under Hill Areas, as per a government order issued in 1972, and all actions were taken in accordance with the law of the land. Regarding the Thangjing Hill Range, he clarified that it was a naming error in the subdivision, which was reviewed and corrected.
“Why hasn’t the BJP government, during its two terms, rectified any perceived mistakes made by Congress if they considered them wrong?” he questioned.
Devbrata urged the BJP to stop playing politics and blame other parties to hide their wrongdoings during this critical situation.
He called on the BJP government to focus on addressing the present unrest and resettlement programmes which the Congress is ready to offer full support.
Devbarta also mentioned that the Congress is not interested in forming the government and only requested a change of the CM if necessary to restore normalcy at the earliest.
