Imphal, March 25 : Two days after the AICC announced its candidates for the two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur, the BJP today accused the Congress, which leads the coalition ministry in the state, of trying to get support of the militant groups in ceasefire with the government.
“The Congress is taking support from ceasefire groups to win the two Lok Sabha seats in Manipur. The party wants power through the barrel of the gun,” the BJP secretary in-charge of Northeast, Chandrashekhar Rao, said during a news conference today.
The BJP leader also charged that Mani Charenamei, sitting MP who is seeking re-election from Outer Manipur, is a candidate “sponsored” by the Congress. The BJP is fielding its former candidate, D. Loli Adanee, who lost to Charenamei in the last election.
Charenamei won the last election as Independent with support from the United Naga Council (UNC), apex body of the Naga community in Manipur. This time he is contesting on a Peoples Democratic Alliance ticket. He also has the support of Independent MLAs Forum, comprising eight Independents from the hills.
The AICC on Sunday night announced names of Thangso Baite, former Congress MLA, as the Outer Manipur candidate and sitting MP Thokchom Meinya Singh as the Inner candidate.
On being asked the basis of the charges, Rao said Charenamei had been supporting the Congress all along during the outgoing term. “The one example is Charenamei’s support to the Manmohan Singh government during the vote of confidence,” he said.
Stating that the AICC ignored Ibobi Singh and the Manipur PCC’s preference while issuing the party ticket, Rao said the committee had a “tacit understanding” with Charenamei. Baite was only a dummy, he added.
The BJP leader said the proof of the nexus between the Congress government in Manipur and the cease-fire groups was the free hand given to these groups in extortion and anti-social activities.
Nineteen tribal militant groups have entered into a tripartite agreement on suspension of operations since last year.
“The border is managed by the UPA government. Armed militants continue to sneak into Manipur from Myanmar, carry out anti-social activities and then cross over to Myanmar. The UPA government is not checking it,” Rao said.
He cited the case of yesterday’s killing of a businessman in Thangal Bazar of Imphal city as another example of “total failure” of the Congress government in Manipur.
Unknown gunmen shot dead the proprietor of a radio and mobile handset store inside the shop in broad daylight and escaped.
In reaction, police gunned down two suspected militants one hour after the attack at a place not very far from the shop. Local residents accused the police of killing the two in a fake encounter.
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