IMPHAL, May 4: Manipur Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam has said the BJP has to play a crucial role in the final stages that will ultimately convert the three ILP Bills into Acts.
Replying to a query from the media on the sidelines of a function at Irom Meijrao in Imphal West today, Gaikhangam said the State BJP needs to play a major role in exerting pressure on the Centre to ensure the Bills become Acts.
In the wake of the public curfew announced by JCILPS, the newly appointed Manipur BJP president Ksh Bhabananda Singh’s comment failed to throw light on the role of his party in the effort to pressurize the NDA Government at the Centre to act on converting the Bills into Acts, said the Deputy Chief Minister.
The State BJP chief was speaking to media at the party office where he was felicitated by partymen today.
Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit System (JCILPS) has announced its decision to impose a 42-hour ‘public curfew’ beginning May 6 midnight as part of its movement on the pressing demand of implementation of ILP to safeguard the indigenous communities in Manipur.
The Deputy CM said, “We all have to bear the brunt of such a public agitation. ” But he did not make any direct appeal to withdraw the proposed strike.
The joint committee had launched a three-month long stir that brought life to a halt in the valley following which the Manipur Government passed the three Bills under intense pressure on August 31, 2015.
He said that any Indian citizen has the right to take part in democratic process under the Constitution.
The comment came after JCILPS demanded all the political parties in Manipur to announce their stance on ILP within the current month and to shed light on their stand on deletion of names of non-locals from the voters’ list before the ensuing Imphal Municipal Corporation (IMC) polls to be conducted on June 2.
The committee also urged the political parties to make clear stance on whether non-locals would be allowed to contest the polls or not.
