IMPHAL:
Manipur Minister Thongam Biswajit Singh, second-in-command in the BJP government after Chief Minister N. Biren Singh, said that through multi-pronged strategies, creating infrastructure, enhancing job avenues for the educated youths and fulfilling regional aspirations, the decades old militancy problem can be resolved.
The Bharatiya Janata Party’s first MLA in Manipur in 2015, Singh, who holds six portfolios including PWD, Panchayat and Rural Development, said that since the formation of the first BJP-led government in Manipur in 2017 all-out efforts have been made to contain militancy and the drug menace.
“Extremism in the state is a decades old problem. It needs a multi-pronged strategy to resolve. Creating developmental infrastructure, enhancing job avenues for the educated youths, working with the regional aspirations are some of the key areas which we need to associate in the strategy to resolve militancy with initiatives for peaceful dialogue,” the minister told IANS in an interview.
“Implementation of a proper rehabilitation (of the surrendered militants) policy will also be pivotal.”
He said: “Under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, we have paved the way for moving forward. Same is with drug smuggling and drug abuse, we will not let our youths, the future of the nation, get ruined by narcotics.”
“Our commitment against drug smuggling has yielded results and we will carry it forward. The security forces in Manipur including Assam Rifles often seize illegal drugs worth crores of rupees smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar.”
“Our commitment against drug smuggling has yielded results and we will carry it forward. The security forces in Manipur including Assam Rifles often seize illegal drugs worth crores of rupees smuggled from neighbouring Myanmar.”
Manipur has over 40 outlawed insurgent groups, a large majority of them lying low following their signing of separate suspension of operations agreements with the government.
Besides militancy, smuggling of varied drugs from Myanmar is another big problem for Manipur and other northeastern states. The security forces last year seized drugs including highly addictive ‘methamphetamine’ tablets commonly known as ‘Yaba’ and heroin worth over Rs 1,000 crore in Manipur after these were smuggled from Myanmar. Many Indian and Myanmarese drug peddlers were arrested.
Defence sources said that narco-terrorism is a major source of finance for the terrorist groups based in Myanmar and it has linkages with the other players in the ‘Golden Triangle’.
A former bureaucrat turned politician, Biswajit Singh, speaking about the contentious Armed Forces (Special Power) Act, 1958 (AFSPA) said that no political party or individual should play with the people’s sentiment at the time of election.
“I personally feel AFSPA should be removed. However, a conducive atmosphere also needs to be created before taking a final call. The pressing need is contribution from all. In consultations with all the stakeholders, a situation must be created in which AFSPA won’t be required.”
He claimed that during the Congress regime, they used to exploit such issues for the sake of votes. “Either keeping it or removing it, in any manner, it should not be against the interest of the state and interest of the nation and the people as well.”
The 49-year-old BJP leader, who played a pivotal role in the formation of the first BJP-led government in Manipur in 2017, said that people want development and peace, employment and stability which we are delivering. IANS
The 49-year-old BJP leader, who played a pivotal role in the formation of the first BJP-led government in Manipur in 2017, said that people want development and peace, employment and stability which we are delivering. IANS