IMPHAL, Sept 8: Former Chief Minister of Manipur and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Okram Ibobi has accused Manipur Governor Ajay Kumar Bhalla of reducing Raj Bhavan to a “partisan platform” by holding a meeting exclusively with BJP legislators.
“The Governor’s selective meeting is a shocking display of partisanship. If the discussion was really about the violence, why were opposition MLAs left out? Raj Bhavan must remain above politics,” Ibobi said at a press briefing today in Imphal.
The Leader of the Opposition warned that such exclusionary politics deepens the trust deficit at a time when Manipur is still reeling from over a year of bloodshed and displacement.
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Ibobi also hit out at the Centre and the state government for what he called their mishandling of the Suspension of Operation (SoO) agreement signed with Kuki militant groups. He claimed that successive BJP-led governments ignored repeated violations of the ground rules. “Even after the former state government passed resolutions for abrogation of SoO for two militant groups, the Centre failed to act. That left local communities exposed while militants operated freely,” he alleged.
On Modi’s much-anticipated September 13 visit, Ibobi was blunt. He said, “The Prime Minister seems to believe he can pacify Manipur with a cursory 2–3 hours’ visit. But the people cannot tolerate gestures without action.”
He added that Manipur appears to be treated as an afterthought in the Prime Minister’s itinerary, with more priority given to Mizoram and Assam. “This is not a mission, it looks like a tour,” he remarked.
The press conference was attended by AICC CWC member Gaikhangam, MLAs Lokeshwar and Surjakumar, former MLA Loken, and other senior Congress leaders. Concluding his remarks, Ibobi said the Governor’s selective meeting and the Centre’s failure on the SoO pact together have eroded public faith in institutions. “Ignoring elected representatives and failing to enforce agreements that protect our citizens undermines the credibility of both Raj Bhavan and the Central government,” he said. (NNN)
