With what face shall I meet the PM, asks Biren ‘People voted blindly in LS polls’
13-Aug-2024
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By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Aug 12 : With what face shall "I" meet the Prime Minister when not a (BJP) MP has been elected, N Biren said in the Assembly today.
He made the statement when the House was discussing the Manipur Appropriation (Number 5) Bill 2024, which was passed sans Opposition MLAs.
During the discussion on the Bill that saw no Opposition members in the House, Chief Minister N Biren Singh mentioned various schemes taken up by the Government, and its war on drugs, the crisis and the recent Lok Sabha elections.
Speaking on the current crisis and the elections, he accused the people of "not seeing the truth before them" and "voting for the new [person] without discussing and understanding who will best represent them."
The Chief Minister was apparently referring to Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam's election to the Lok Sabha.
"People were not happy with the Government because of the current crisis. While they were unhappy, the people did not discuss and understand the core issue and who was good for them. They voted for the new person without understanding what he could do in the Parliament," N Biren said in the House.
The Chief Minister further alleged that the MP has failed to deliver on his election promises.
Before the elections, he (the new MP) roared like a lion and promised that the displaced would be allowed to return to their homes immediately after he is elected. Now, people are slowly starting to see his true nature. After the election, he himself has now claimed that he is only a chowkidar and what he could do "when the cooks are not cooking."
The Chief Minister then hinted that the outcome of the election could have been different if people were able to see the works the Prime Minister and the Home Minister did [for Manipur].
N Biren said, "The Prime Minister spoke thrice on the Manipur crisis. However, the Prime Minister was accused of not speaking a word on the Manipur crisis, and driven by this propaganda, it has now become a major loss for Manipur.
"When not a (single BJP) Lok Sabha MP has been elected, with what face am I going to meet the Prime Minister," N Biren said.
He asserted that the Government is working towards resolving the crisis and bringing peace to Manipur.
Efforts are being taken up for the welfare of the displaced people. Works are on to build their houses and for education of the children. The Government is working towards restoring peace and allowing the displaced people to return to their homes, he said.
On the issue of drugs, N Biren said his Government's War on Drugs affected the mafias and smugglers to the point that they tried to stir crises.
Since 2017 till today, a total of 3004 drug smugglers have been arrested and punished, he said.
The police registered a total of 2024 cases, and recovered 310.315 Kg of heroin, 3010.38 Kg, 1828.25 Kg of opium and 858.55 Kg of WY tablets, he added.
Besides the drug bust, the Government also cracked down on illegal poppy cultivation. The Government's war on drugs was not directed against any community, N Biren said.
Further, the CM said since the inception of the Inner Line Permit System, the State has issued a total of 8,53,047 permits and collected a revenue of Rs 11,70,46,800.
The ILPS was a major demand of the people, and was implemented in Manipur under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Government, he said. The ILP system, he said, has prevented outsiders from buying land and settling in Manipur.
During the discussion, MLA Lourembam Rameshwor urged the Government to investigate if there is any foreign funding behind the crisis in Manipur.