State BJP leaders brief MOS Kiren Rijiju on ILP issue
IMPHAL, June 4: The all party delegation which is camping in New Delhi to lobby for the conversion of three bills into Acts has an off day today as Chief Minister Okram Ibobi and his deputy Gaikhangam failed to arrive there and ministry offices were reportedly closed on account of weekend holidays.
However, a team of state BJP leaders led by president Ksh Bhavananda called on the Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju this afternoon, but the significance of the meeting was downplayed as a party affair by some of the delegates.
They inferred that the interaction was probably a session to outline the stance BJP delegates would be adopting during an imminent meet with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh along with the rest of the all party delegation in the future.
According to sources, BJP state chief K Bhabananda and his team of state BJP leaders touched down in New Delhi this evening to join co-delegates who had already reached there yesterday.
They joined leaders from other parties namely MPCC president TN Haokip, MPCC secretary K Ranjit, MPP president N Sovakiran, LJP MLA K Shyam, BJP spokesman RK Shivchandra and general secretary L Basanta, Secretary, state council, CPI, Dr M Nara, CPM secretary Sarat Salam and party colleague Ksh Santa and AAP leader M Goswami among others.
Meanwhile, there is discontent growing among the delegates due to lack of communication with both the Chief minister and Deputy Chief Minister about their arrival and future course of action.
One of the delegates who are fighting blistering heat in the national capital stated that in the absence of the Chief Minister and deputy CM, none of them have any knowledge about the process for seeking appointment with Central leaders have taken off or the current status.
We are told that the Chief Minister is in Kolkata but the purpose for him setting up camp there has not been clarified, he added.
On the other hand, Gaikhangam is still in Manipur and he is expected to embark for Delhi tomorrow according to a reliable source.
Meanwhile, a team of state BJP led by K Bhabananda met Kiren Rijiju at around 2:15 pm and the meeting lasted for more than 40 minutes.
The other members of the state BJP team were MLA Th Bishwajit, RK Shivachandra, Sh Shantikumar and L Basanta Sharma.
During the meeting, the state BJP leaders presented a detailed report to the Union minister on the ILPS movement in the state during the recent past, mentioning about the democratic agitations and those that veered towards mob violence, road blocks, hunger strikes by women, contribution of students, police excesses on striking students etc.
The team further made their prediction about the possible outcome if the bills already passed by the state Assembly are not converted into Acts. The team allayed fears that on becoming Acts the people in the hill districts will suffer.
The minister was reportedly told that the apprehension gripping the mind of the tribal communities can be cleared by sitting together and removing their mislaid fear by discussing them point by point.
They clearly spelt out that the bill was not meant for supplanting tribal communities in the hills by the people from the valley but for protection of the indigenous people from influx by outsiders.
Kiren Rijiju reportedly gave assurance to the team of maximum support from his side. On the other hand, JCILPS activists said they are waiting for outcome of the meeting between state and Central leaders.
