Congress terms Manipur CM’s resignation attempt as ‘drama’

Imphal, July 2 (IANS) The opposition Congress in Manipur on Sunday ridiculed Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s recent attempt to resign and termed it as a “drama.”

Manipur State Congress Vice-President Harishwar Goswami, expressing doubts about the Chief Minister’s intentions, said that, “If Singh genuinely wanted to step down, he could have submitted the resignation letter to the Governor through email or other methods.”

Singh on Friday tried to resign from his post but large number of men and women gathered in front of the CM’s bungalow to protest against his stepping down.

“At this crucial juncture, I wish to clarify that I will not be resigning from the post of Chief Minister,” he later tweeted following day-long suspense.

The Congress leader has raised concerns about the inactivity of security personnel when thousands of people gathered in a tight security zone, located between the Chief Minister Secretariat and Raj Bhavan, preventing the Chief Minister from going to Raj Bhavan to submit the resignation letter to Governor Anusuiya Uikey.

Referring to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s two-day visit to Manipur, Goswami claimed that the BJP had orchestrated various pre-planned agendas to portray Rahul as unwelcomed among the people of Manipur.

However, BJP’s attempts failed, and instead, the public showed whole hearted support and warmly welcomed Rahul Gandhi, he added.
Questioning the police action to obstruct Rahul’s convoy in Bishnupur, Goswami asked why the convoy was not allowed to proceed towards Bishnupur.

Responding to the BJP’s criticism about the relevance of Rahul’s visit to Manipur, Goswami stated that political parties have important roles to play in Parliament when discussing issues related to separate administration.

Countering the allegations regarding Rahul’s visit taking place over 40 days after the outbreak of unrest, the Congress leader asked the BJP to raise the same question with the Prime Minister Narendra Modi, highlighting his prolonged silence on the issue.

Referring to the statement of Chief Minister Biren Singh who mentioned that the Union Home Minister Amit Shah would oversee and control the hill areas, particularly concerning the Kuki militants, Goswami said that Kuki militants have not stopped firing upon Meitei villagers and it has resulted in the scores of deaths.

“Why is the Union Home Minister unable to curb the Kuki militants horrifying acts of firing upon innocent Meitei villagers? What is the hidden agenda,” the Congress leader asked.