Imphal: Manipur Home Minister Govindas Konthoujam on Thursday alleged that protesters raising the “Save Manipur” slogan during the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar were attempting to provoke Manipuri youths. He said Manipur would be saved by its own people, not through such sloganeering.
Addressing a press conference at the BJP state headquarters in Imphal, the Home Minister accused opposition parties of inciting unrest during the students’ protest in New Delhi.
“Those who raised the ‘Save Manipur’ slogan are trying to mislead our youths. Manipur will be saved by us, not by those raising slogans at Jantar Mantar. Yeh sab dikhawa hai,” he said.
Govindas alleged that the CJP protest at Jantar Mantar and the dharna by Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi in front of the Prime Minister’s residence were aimed at disrupting the Monsoon Session of Parliament.
“There are students protesting in the front, but behind them are political workers of the AAP, Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Communist parties. There are hardly any CJP supporters at the protest venue. I only saw workers of opposition parties inciting violence,” he claimed.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi had stated earlier in the day that nothing was more important than the welfare and future of the country’s youth, and that fast-track courts would be constituted to ensure swift and stringent punishment for those involved in the paper leak case. Govindas urged young people to trust the Prime Minister.
The Home Minister further alleged that some people were unhappy with the Centre’s recent changes to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) rules. He claimed that the protest in New Delhi was being funded from outside the country by forces that did not want India’s rise.
“Where are those food packets and water bottles coming from at the protest venue?” he asked.
Govindas also accused opposition parties of lowering the country’s image. He said that issues should be debated and resolved in Parliament.
Responding to questions from reporters about the damage to a Bailey bridge in Manipur’s Kamjong district on Wednesday, the Home Minister said the police were trying to ascertain the exact cause of the incident.
According to him, two versions have emerged. One suggests the bridge was blown up by militants from across the border, while the other indicates that it could have been the handiwork of miscreants from within the state seeking to slow the movement of Assam Rifles personnel.
Those present at the press conference included Government Spokesperson Dr Sapam Ranjan, Hills Area Committee Chairman D. Gangmei, BJP MLAs H. Dingo Singh, Paonam Brojen and Md. Achabuddin, along with other state party functionaries.
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