Guwahati: Former Chief Minister of Manipur N Biren Singh, accused the Congress party of rejecting the Inner Line Permit (ILP) in Parliament, questioning whether Congress leaders in Manipur had informed the people about this decision.
Singh highlighted that on September 4, 2012, during a Parliament session, Dr. Thokchom Meinya raised the issue of ILP for Manipur, but the Congress-led UPA government not only delayed the decision but outright rejected the demand.
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Singh in his X post, wrote, “ The reply from the then Minister of State for Home Affairs Shri Mullappaly Ramachandran was blunt: ‘Inner Line Permit System under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 is applicable only to the three North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland which cannot be extended to the State of Manipur as per extant regulation.’”
Singh accused Congress of showing no empathy towards Manipur’s aspirations and identity.
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He pointed out that, while Congress denied the legitimate demand for ILP in Parliament, a young student, Sapam Robinhood, sacrificed his life for the cause.
Despite the widespread pain and anger on the streets of Manipur, Singh claimed that Congress failed to engage with the people or show any empathy, leaving them disconnected and silent during a time of crisis.
Singh further accused Congress of treating Manipur with disrespect, referring to the state’s forced merger with India in 1949 and its delayed statehood in 1972.
He alleged that Congress ignored Manipuris’ demands, neglected the indigenous population, and appeased illegal immigrants.
In contrast, Singh praised the BJP government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for finally respecting Manipur’s long-standing demand.
He noted that in 2019, the BJP fulfilled the state’s decades-old demand by granting the ILP, providing a constitutional safeguard that had been denied for years.