Ibobi vows to protect migrants

Imphal, April 13: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today reacted strongly to the quit notice issued by the militant Revolutionary Peoples Front (RPF) to all non-Manipuris living in the state. The outfit had issued a statement last month asking all non-Manipuris who had come to Manipur after 1949 to leave the state by May 31. In the statement, it said that taking away of jobs by the non-Manipuris had resulted in discontentment among the local people, while use of migrant labourers as “agents” by the security forces had resulted in violence against them. Ibobi Singh said the government would not tolerate such designs. “We all are Indians. We will not remain silent to the quit notice issued by the militants. We will do whatever we can for their protection,” the chief minister said at the launch of a series of development projects in Churachandpur district today. This is for the first time that Ibobi Singh has reacted to the RPF’s quit notice. “If we drive them (non-Manipuris) out, imagine what will happen to all those Manipuris studying or living in other cities like Delhi. We should also think about them,” Ibobi Singh said. The quit notice by the militant group has sparked a fear psychosis among the non-Manipuris. The outfit has also asked landlords and shopowners not to accommodate non-Manipuris after the deadline. In an attempt to reassure the non-Manipuris, the chief minister said he would allot construction work of the mini-secretariat at the district headquarters of Churachandpur to an outside firm and migrants would be involved in it. Ibobi Singh laid the foundation of the mini secretariat building today. On the objections raised by various tribal bodies to elections to six autonomous district councils (ADCs), the chief minister said the poll would benefit the tribal people in the hills. He said the government had enough funds for the district councils and with it the latter could take up various development projects in the hills. An official source said that the 13th Finance Commission had provided a sum of Rs 51 crore for the district councils and local bodies in the valley. The state government is planning to hold the elections next month. Ibobi Singh also opened a radio station for Churachandpur and laid the foundation of a sports complex and an FCI godown.

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