Former Manipur CM Biren accuses Congress of rejecting ILP proposal in 2012
HY News
02 April, 2025 06:51 am IST
Text Size:
Former Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh on Tuesday accused the Congress-led UPA government of rejecting a proposal in Parliament to introduce the Inner Line Permit (ILP) regime in the state in 2012. He further alleged that the then government engaged in blatant appeasement of illegal immigrants.
In a post on X, Biren Singh recalled that on September 4, 2012, during a Parliament session, the then Manipur Lok Sabha MP, Dr. Thokchom Meinya, raised the issue of ILP in Manipur. However, Biren Singh claimed that the Congress-led UPA government not only delayed addressing the issue but outright rejected the demand.
Quoting the response of the then Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Mullappaly Ramachandran, Biren Singh highlighted that the government had stated: "The Inner Line Permit System under Bengal Eastern Frontier Regulation, 1873 applies only to the three North-Eastern States of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, and Nagaland, which cannot be extended to the State of Manipur as per extant regulation."
Expressing his disappointment, Biren Singh criticized the response as a "cold bureaucratic dismissal," lacking empathy or willingness to acknowledge Manipur's distinct history and identity. He further questioned whether the Congress leadership in Manipur had informed the people about the rejection, calling it a "shameless denial" of the state's legitimate demand for ILP.
Biren Singh accused Congress of "deliberate neglect" and "blatant appeasement of illegal immigrants," alleging that the party treated indigenous people as second-class citizens. "The truth is, Congress never cared. Our voices were ignored, our identity trampled, and our legitimate demands laughed off in Parliament," he said.
He further questioned if the Congress leadership had consulted the people or shown any empathy, asserting that the party remained "silent, unmoved, disconnected, and completely absent from the ground."
Meanwhile, Biren Singh credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah for addressing the long-standing demand for ILP in Manipur. He stated, "It was the BJP Government under Hon'ble Prime Minister @narendramodi and Hon'ble Home Minister @AmitShah that finally respected Manipur's sentiments. They understood the unique history and socio-political realities of the state. In 2019, they fulfilled a long-standing demand and gave Manipur the ILP, a constitutional safeguard we had been fighting for, for decades."
Subscribe to our mailing list to get the new updates!
Subscribe our newsletter to stay updated
Leave Comments