MPCC terms President as “Rubber Stamp”, says “Garlanded wrong person”, demands total scrap of bill

Pothashang News Service: Imphal, February 15, 2019: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee demanded that Manipur state Assembly should unanimously resolve to demand the Centre to scrap the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill and to resolve to demand for restoration of Special Category Status for Manipur in the coming state Assembly session.

Congress Legislature Party leader and former chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has termed the President of India like a ‘rubber stamp’ of BJP saying that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2019 will be implemented by enforcing as an ordinance even if the bill was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha.

Ibobi made the remark while criticising the BJP during a news conference held at Congress Bhawan today.

The bill was not tabled in the Rajya Sabha for fear of defeat. “This is the biggest defeat of Prime Miinister Narendra Modi,” Ibobi said.

“The non-discussion of the bill in Rajya Sabha is not the end and we have to be vigilant so that an ordinance like the Triple Talaq is not brought out in the sly,” he added.

Ibobi said all  the heavy weights and senior leaders of BJP including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP president Amit Shah and its general secretary Ram Madhav for safe passage of  the bill through Rajya Sabha. The President of India signalled his desire to pass the bill, he added.

The North East secretary in-charge of BJP Hemanta Biswa Sharma and the finance minister of Assam repeatedly said that the bill will be passed, he added.

The central government prepared notification of implementing the bill in the Gazette of India, Ibobi said showing a copy of the prepared gazette

The contentious bill should not be passed forcibly by promulgating ordinance before enforcement of election model code of conduct, Ibobi said.

Recalling the movement led by Congress party against this bill, he said that MPCC held a number of awareness programme spreading the negative consequences of implementing bill.

He furthersaid that BJP led government in the state never stood firmly against bill. Instead they urged for insertion of some clauses in it to satisfy their “masters” in Delhi and to take president assent of Manipur People’s Bill.

It is only after the pressure of the people and knowing the strength of opposition parties that they fail to table the bill in Rajya Sabha to avoid humiliating defeat, he added and criticised the BJP Manipur Pradesh for organising grand reception programme.

The BJP has absolute majority in Lok Sabha, so Congress party was helpless to defeat the bill in Lok Sabha and they walked out on the day of passing the bill as it is the strongest form of protest, he added.

BJP led Manipur government is obsessed with cheap popularity by befooling people, which is realised by all, Ibobi said.

The  BJP Manipur Pradesh felicitated chief minister, N. Biren Singh yesterday at Hatta Kangjeibung “for his contribution for not tabling the bill in Rajya Sabha”.

Newly appointed president of Manipur PCC, Gaikhangam said the central leaders were not able to table bill in Rajya Sabha because of fearless agitation and movement roused by people of state where many women and common people got injured. But instead of felicitating them, the BJP supporters garlanded the wrong person. “This is very unfortunate and shameful while the credit goes to the people of Manipur and the Northeast, ” he added.