IMPHAL, September 12: The Manipur Pradesh Trinamool Congress Committee will decide on whether to continue being a part of the all-party committee on Inner Line Permit after the September 15 sitting of the committee.
General secretary and party spokesperson P Premananda said at a press conference that the party will discuss the issue on September 16, a day after the third sitting of the all-political party committee.
He said the party condemns the present law and order situation in the State and the indefinite closure of all educational institutes ordered by the government in the wake of the ILPS movement.
The party is represented by MLA I Ibohalbi in the committee at present; however, the government is unlikely to use the service of the committee to bring any solution to the ILPS issue, he asserted.
The committee has already sat on two occasions without any positive outcome, Premananda rued.
Instead, the government resorted to arresting volunteers involved in the ILPS movement in the State and in such a state of affairs, the party can only conclude that the government will not be taking any positive action to safeguard the indigenous people of the State, he continued.
In case, the September 15 sitting fail to yield any positive result, the MPTCC may withdraw its representative from the committee, he warned.
Questioning the 60 MLAs and the three MPs on their responsibilities towards the welfare of the State, he lamented that the present situation is akin to the State Home principal secretary ruling the valley districts and the NSCN (IM) ruling the hill districts.
Reacting further to the BJP State president Th Chaoba’s reported claim that the party was not involved in the withdrawal of forces from Ukhrul, he said it was reported that the BJP national executive member Tapir Gao had claimed to have urged the Union Home Minister to remove the security forces from Ukhrul following a meeting with the UNC at Senapati.
MPTCC vice president MI Khan asked why is it that the government always declare closure of educational institutes whenever an issue crops up in the State.
This is victimisation of students and not allowed in a democratic form of government, he condemned.
The Inner Line Permit System is not banning entry of outsiders into the State but it is to check the entry and the duration of their stay in the State, he said before declaring that it is unfortunate that the government has always deemed it fit to relate the issue to the Manipuris studying outside the State.
He said the main cause of the students flocking outside the State to study is because of the government’s failure to provide good infrastructure in the State.
The government should immediately declare resumption of classes, he demanded.
Questioning the rationality behind the withdrawal of security forces from Ukhrul, he said why did the government give in to demands for withdrawal of the forces from the district?
Tomorrow if another community demanded that the IRBs and the commandos be withdrawn from their areas, would the government do so, he demanded.
