BJP delegation meet Chidambaram over Manipur standoff
May 15, 2010 03:22 IST
A three member delegation of Bhartiya Janata Party headed by Prakash Javadekar called on the union Home Minister P Chidambaram on Friday evening and demanded that the government should take immediate steps to end the blockade of National Highway 39 by the Naga students so that the supplies of the essential commodities reach the people of Manipur.
Tarun Vijay, one of the members of the delegation, told rediff.com that Chidambaram assured them that he would take immediate steps to send the essential commodities through NH 53 to Manipur. The home minister informed the delegation that NSCN(IM) leader Muivah had for the time being postponed his visit to some of the Naga villages in Manipur and the union government had already made arrangements to airlift medical supplies to Imphal for distribution to the various hospitals in the state. Chidambaram also said that he had asked the the state administration to send detailed list of the life saving drugs and other medicines needed so that these were made avilable to the people on a priority basis.
Earlier party spokesperson Prakash Javadekar had charged the cental government with neglecting the trouble faced by the people of Manipur and Nagaland."The BJP demands an immediate withdrawal of the permission granted to NSCN (IM) General Secretary Muivah, to visit Manipur to diffuse the crisis in the state. The central & state governments should clear the NH-39 of its blockade, rush supplies to Manipur through NH-53 and start negotiation to end the month-long pen down strike by government employees to normalise the situation," he said while addressing a press conference at the BJP headquarters.
The BJP made these demands after a three-member delegation of the party visited Manipur to take stock of the situation. The delegation comprising spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP, Prakash Javadekar, vice president & Lok Sabha MP, Bijoya Chakravarti and Tarun Vijay visited Imphal on Thursday. They interacted with various NGOs, civil organisations, political parties and visited the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences.
Javadekar alleged that the present crisis is the result of unilateralism of the union home ministry. It granted permission to Th. Muivah without consulting the state or realising the ferocity of reaction. Three people died on the Mao border post of Manipur while protesting Muivah's visit, which is being viewed as a threat to the territorial integrity of Manipur.
Onkar Singh in New Delhi
