IMPHAL, April 14: Manipur Congress leader and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh on Sunday accused the NDA government of targeting Muslims and other minority communities through the Waqf (Amendment) Act. He announced that the Manipur unit of the Congress party will be filing a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the legislation, which he termed a “gross violation of the Constitution.”
“We are totally opposed to this Act. India is a secular nation but the present NDA government is attacking Muslims and other minorities. The state unit of the Congress is preparing to fight the legislation. A team will leave for Delhi and by Wednesday, a petition will be filed at the top court challenging this Act,” Singh told reporters.
Reiterating his party’s stand, Singh said, “The Waqf (Amendment) Act is a gross violation of the Constitution and it will not be accepted.”
He also questioned the ongoing imposition of President’s rule in Manipur and expressed surprise over the BJP not forming a government despite having the required numbers.
“We are not in favour of President’s rule in Manipur. A democratic government is represented by the legislators. Imposing President’s rule shows they could not rule the state and are not capable of upholding law and order. Even now, they (BJP) have sufficient numbers to form a government. But we don’t know why this has not been allowed,” he said.
Singh further urged unity among Manipur’s communities and appealed to the Kuki community to reconsider its opposition to the Meitei community’s annual pilgrimage to the Thangjing hills in Churachandpur district.
“Whether Kuki, Naga, Muslim or Meitei, we have been living together in Manipur since time immemorial. I would like to appeal to the Kuki community to reconsider its opposition to the annual pilgrimage to Thangjing hills. One day or the other, we will have to live together. We are all Manipuris. We are not in favour of illegal immigrants. But indigenous people have to live together,” he said.
