Rights of hill areas people will be protected at any cost: Manipur CM N Biren Singh

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has made another massive attempt to reach out to the people of the hill districts of the state at a time when the State

Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh has made another massive attempt to reach out to the people of the hill districts of the state at a time when the State government is drawing flak over attempts to include MLAs from the valley into the Hill Area Committee.

Launching the Go to Hills 2.0 programme in Churachandpur on Monday, CM Biren Singh reassured the people of the hill areas that Article 371 C, which is a special provision with respect to the state of Manipur, will be protected at any cost by his government. Not a single point under Article 371-C will be violated, Singh said.

Speaking exclusively to Northeast Live on the proposed inclusion of 8 more MLAs into the hill areas committee, Biren Singh said that his government has no role in the decision taken by the Assembly, which is an autonomous body. He also assured that no one in the state will go beyond the constitution.

However, at the same time the row surrounding the move to include 8 new MLAs in the Hill areas committee is far from over. Despite the Assembly Speakers decision to keep it at bay for not allowing strong opposition from various quarters, hill district base groups are up in arms over the issue and are demanding a complete pullback of the order.

The row over the proposed inclusion of 8 MLAs from the valley in the hill areas committee spilled over to the streets of Churachandpur today where CM Biren Singh launched the Go to Hills 2.0 programme.

Protesters holding black flags dotted the road that led to the Tuibong Peace Ground, where the Chief Minister launched the ambitious programme. Organisations like the HAS and KSO also issued a release appealing to the people of Churachandpur to boycott the programme.

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