"ST issue needs minute deliberation" Youths arming themselves in defence are not anti-Nationals: Biren

IMPHAL, May  4 : Youths who take up arms in Manipur are not anti-Nationals as they do so to stand against the excesses of illegal immi-grants and to defend them- selves as well as the people and their properties, said Chief Minister N Biren Singh.
In an exclusive with The Week, the Chief Minister spoke about how the illegal immigrants entered Manipur and the measures taken up to deport them, the role of Assam Rifles and the initiatives taken up to restore normalcy in Manipur.
In the interview which is 18 minutes long, N Biren said that several youths were compelled to take up arms  as the illegal immigrants started a violent campaign against the innocent civilians by burning their houses and attacking them.
He further said that the youth will definitely surrender  their arms once there is normalcy in the State.
Saying that several arms and ammunition were looted  from police stations in both hill and valley districts of the State by overpowering the personnel amid the crisis  in Manipur, the Chief Minister said that arms were looted from police stations at Churachandpur, Singhat and  Kangpokpi on the first day of the violence on May 3, 2023.
He claimed that police stations in Imphal were stormed by a large number of people and looted arms and ammunition a couple of days after armouries of police stations in the hill districts were looted.
Stating that the State Government has been carrying out a series of operations in both the hills and the valley districts to recover the looted guns and ammunition and restore  normalcy in the State and the same will continue, N Biren  added that security forces have recovered several arms and ammunition and the same task will complete when people feel safe.
Cooperation of the people is needed to recover all the looted arms and ammunition, he said.
The Chief Minister further said that the Govern- ment  doesn't want to use force to recover the weapons until the  people feel safe and secure.
The looted arms and ammunition, however, have to be recovered at all cost, N Biren said and added that bringing peace in strife torn Manipur would be difficult until the looted arms and ammunition are recovered.
Saying that the people blamed the Government for the violence in the initial stage of the conflict, the Chief Minister maintained that the people started understanding the cause of conflict after the Government started explaining them about the problem of influx of illegal immigrants, widespread poppy cultivation, mushrooming of several new villages, large scale drug business with data from September 2023 onwards.
The violence in Manipur didn't start overnight but it was strategically planned since a long time back, the Chief Minister maintained and added that people  now understand the effects of widespread deforestation on ecology, drug menace and the indigenous people losing their rights.
On border fencing, the Chief Minister said that the previous Congress Government erected fences only along 4 km in Manipur of the 398 Kms long stretch of Indo-Myanmar border.
It was only after the Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power that the border fencing areas were extended to 10 Km, he said and added that due processes have been taken up to erect fences along another 21 Km of the Indo-Myanmar border.
For a very long time, people living on either side of the Indo-Myanmar border have been moving freely and crossing border due to the Free Movement Regime (FMR), he maintained and added that an alarming  number of illegal immigrants from Myanmar entered Manipur in the  last 20/30 years and settled in the State.
Saying that he warned the then Government in 2013  while he was in the Congress that the illegal immigrants  may demand a homeland, the Chief Minister continued that his warning wasn't taken seriously by the then Government and so he decided to leave the grand old party.
It is the BJP Government which started the drive to identify the illegal immigrants with 1961 as the base year, N Biren contended and added that the illegal immigrants will have to be deported.
Meanwhile, the Chief Minister said that it won't be possible for the Assam Rifles to guard the Indo-Myanmar    border as their duty is counter insurgency.
Saying that the problem of insurgency has declined,  N Biren added that adequate security measures have to be taken up at border areas to subdue insurgency.
He also said that a section of Kuki people demanding  separate administration will never see the light of day.
It won't be possible to give shelter to all the  illegal immigrants from Myanmar and the same has to be understood by Kuki-Zo people living in Manipur for years, he said.
Further stating that a dialogue is needed to restore normalcy in Manipur, the Chief Minister reiterated that illegal immigrants nonetheless has to be deported.
N Biren went on to state that he will never allow illegal immigrants to  settle permanently in Manipur which is very small.
On ST status demand by Meetei, N Biren said that a  proper discussion is needed on the matter.