Rajnath blames Manipur Govt. for economic blockade, failure of tripartite talks

Imphal (Manipur) [India], Feb. 19 (ANI): Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday blamed the Manipur Government for the three month long economic blockade and the subsequent failure of tripartite talks, stating that the Congress-led government conspired to divert people's attention from its failures. "We did everything in our capacity. We even held tripartite talks, but, the state government did not do anything. They did not even give directives to the forces. I think there is a political conspiracy. The state government wants to divert people's attention from its failures," Singh said during the release of the party's vision document for the upcoming assembly elections. He further said that the state government refused to give directives to the forces deployed by the Centre to help mitigate the crisis. "Primarily, the state government is responsible for ensuring law and order. The state government has the obligation to control law and order. I personally telephoned and said the Centre will provide whatever assistances it is needed we even deployed security forces. Ours is a federal structure where the Centre has no room to intervene in the affairs of a state," Rajnath added. The Minister also casted aside rumours spread by the Congress that the BJP was working to jeopardise Manipur's territorial integrity after it signed the framework agreement with the National Socialist Council of Nagaland -- Isak-Muivah (NSCN-IM ). "Wrong message is being spread. It is being said that Manipur's territorial integrity was jeopardised because the Centre had signed framework agreement with the NSCN-IM . I want to assure you that the BJP government will not do anything that inversely affects the territorial integrity of Manipur," he said. Singh also lambasted Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh for failing to provide basic necessities like electricity, drinking water facilities to the people despite ruling the state for 15 years. (ANI)