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AFSPA eludes Manipur poll issues

Instead of the Armed Forces Special Act, the Naga peace framework dominates the pre poll heat and dust between Congress and BJP in Manipur. Rahul Gandhi firmly took on Narendra Modi four days after the Prime Minister blame Congress for backwardness. The Congress vice president on Tuesday slammed the Centre for keeping the north eastern in dark when the Centre struck the peace pact with NSCN-IM in Delhi last year.

In his address at a poll rally in Imphal, Gandhi hounded Prime Minister Narendra Modi for not examining the pulse of the Manipuris before striking the deal to fetch peace for the Nagas.

He said even Okram Ibobi Singh was kept in dark not to speak of the other ministers. “What is there in the Accord. Only PM Modi knows. Why do not ask Modiji, when the Naga Accord was made, why were the of Manipur not consulted?,” said Gandhi.

He questioned the content of the Naga Accord and said that nothing has been made clear. According to him, none but Congress will be able to protect the territorial integrity of Manipur.

Recently, Union home minister Rajnath Singh assured the people that the territorial integrity would remain undisturb and the same sentiment found an echo in what Narendra Modi said on Saturday.

Singh and Modi uttered not even a single word on the Not Armed Forces Special Act contrary what was expected by the civil society organizations.

Same it was in the case of Rahul Gandhi who kept mum on the issue responsible for the law and order scene and the stinging extra judicial killings.
  
Manipur will go to poll in two phases on March 4 and March 8 and the counting of votes will be done on March 11 along with UP, Uttarkhand, Goa and Punjab.

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Assam Times Staff. editor@assamtimes.org

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