State Govt can terminate SoO on advice of JMG : Bimol

Our Correspondent
Moirang, Apr 16 : The State Government can terminate the Suspension of Operation (SoO) pact with the Kuki militant groups based on the recommendation of the Joint Monitoring Group of the tripartite agreement, claimed Congress candidate in the Lok Sabha election (Inner seat) Dr Angomcha Bimol Akoijam.
Meanwhile, it is reported that some miscreants who came in  a Maruti 800 fired multiple rounds toward the site of the meeting some 300 metres away from the venue when Okram Ibobi was speaking at around 3.34 pm.
Addressing a poll meeting at Kumbi today, Bimol continued that the State Government seems to be unaware of the terms of the SoO pact which were agreed by all the signatories.
People think only the Central Government can abrogate the SoO pact but according to what is written in the agreement the State Government can terminate the pact, he added.
Saying that he has been campaigning to make all elections free and fair since 2011 and to withdraw AFSPA from Manipur among others, the Congress candidate questioned the motive behind attacking his poll campaign and the threats by a group of people.
Stating that he stepped into electoral politics to show what an MP and a political leader can do if elected, Bimol added that those who intimidate him are not the Kukis but the same people whom he wishes to protect.
The crisis in Manipur should be viewed from a broader perspective as it is a scheme to break the State apart, the Congress candidate continued and added that ethnic violence did happen in other parts of the country too but unlike in Manipur it all ended in two or three weeks at maximum.
Further stating that the Indian Government can end the violence in Manipur if it wishes to, Bimol accused the Central Government of siding with Kukis to disintegrate the State and give separate administration to the Kuki people and their kindred tribes.
Asking how the Meetei settlement areas in Churachandpur can be flattened using bulldozers despite the presence of district administration and Central and security forces, he claimed that the BJP Government had a hand in dividing people based on ethnic lines.
He also said that Kuki militant groups helped the BJP to win the State Assembly election in 2017 and the Lok Sabha election in 2019.
Stating that the Prime Minister can always summon all the Meetei, Naga and Kuki MLAs and discuss a way to resolve the crisis in Manipur, Bimol accused the BJP Government of implementing the divide and rule scheme to escalate the tension between Meetei and Kuki people.
The crisis persists because the ultimate goal of the Government is to create a lasting division among the people, Bimol added.
Further stating that the Government employs many tactics to cover their blunders, the Congress candidate appealed to the people to not fall for the diversionary tactics.  
Also accusing the Government of putting maximum efforts to save their image by spreading lies instead of consulting with all stakeholders concerned to resolve the crisis, Bimol added that it is surprising to see the emergence of ‘patriots’ who let them be controlled by the Government for some monetary benefits.
"What they have been doing is nothing but the proverbial Khurakki Eena Lai Saba," Bimol said, referring to the arm twisting methods used by the miscreants.
He said that those who sincerely come out to protect Manipur should not fear arrest.
CLP leader and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi, Congress MLAs K Ranjit, Th Lokeshwar, former MLAs RK Anand and N Loken also attended the programme among others.