IMPHAL, April 1: “Nagaland chief minister Neiphiu Rio is planning to appropriate a Member of Parliament seat by spreading venom among Manipuris for his own gain,”said sitting MP of Manipur outer constituency Thangso Baite.
In an election campaign cum public meeting at the Moreh Trade Centre on Tuesday, Thangso Baite said that the people must be aware of the outside influence. In his recent visits to Manipur, Rio has always portrayed CM Ibobi as enemy number one of Naga people accusing him of not undertaking any development work for the hills people under his long tenure.
Thangso alleged that Rio is trying to take advantage from the soil of Manipur with a hidden agenda through his NPF party.
His intention is to add another MP from Manipur in enforcing the new government in centre to work on Naga-based issues.
He said that when Rio can’t satisfy his own people in Nagaland how he can dream of taking responsibility of his neighbouring state. Nagaland has many problems of its own. His motive is not a good sign for the people of Northeast India, he said.
No NPF candidate can win a seat in the outer constituency by creating animosity among the people of Manipur. He is trying to disturb the territorial boundary of Manipur, he added.
He clarified that the border fencing issue is not actually an international border issue. There is no complaint as such from both Myanmar and India in the dispute. Instead, the issue was created by security forces after erecting border fencing in a wrong line. Regarding the issue, he said, he has written twice to the union Defence minister and Home minister and their replies have already been given to the concerned DC. He said that the Congress despite undertaking many development works and schemes for Manipur chose not to blow its own trumpet. The way the party functions is totally different from other political parties, he added.
He said that the sub-division and block of Moreh was replaced to Moreh recently from Tegnoupal which created problem to people of Moreh. He has brought the 500 crore ‘NORCOM Project’ in Chandel and Churachandpur with the intervention of Sonia Gandhi for the development of Manipuri people.
MLA Tegnoupal DK Karungthang said that in the last MP election Thangso Baite got 3,45,517 voters to win the MP seat. This time Congress expects more voters than the last elections because Congress has 43 sitting MLAs in the state.
There are 28 assembly constituency segments in outer constituency out of which 8 segments belong to valley in Thoubal district which is the home turf of the chief minister and traditionally a Congress vote bank. These 8 segments have 2,16,233 voters which could be a deciding factor in winning the seat.
Education, CAF and PD minister M Okendro said that people must be aware of fake promises of unity because the promise is laden with double standards which can disturb the territorial integrity of Manipur. Rio is now spewing venom and trying to create disunity among the people of Manipur.
In the public meeting, various civil society leaders from Tamil Sangam, Meitei Council, Moreh, Manipuri Muslim Council, Moreh, Hill District Council, Moreh, Kuki Chief Association, Moreh and other woman organisations appealed to the sitting MP for looking on the issues of Moreh and urged for bringing equal level of development with Myanmar which is developing extremely fast.
