Speaking in an election-related function on Thursday, CM Biren had said that several people were dying as a result of consuming poisonous country liquor. In order to save the people, the BJP government would reopen IMFL shops, he had said.
TFM Desk
Manipur chief minister N Biren Singh statement that if the BJP returned to power, the state government would reopen Indian Made Foreign Liquor (IMFL) shops, has attracted criticisms from the Congress and other civil society organisations in Manipur.
Speaking in an election-related function on Thursday, CM Biren said that several people were dying as a result of consuming poisonous country liquor. In order to save the people, the BJP government would reopen IMFL shops, he added.
The Manipur unit of the Congress party demanded that the chief minister withdraw the statement and apologise to the women and social activists of Manipur.
Addressing media persons at Congress Bhawan, Imphal, senior leader of the party, Jairam Ramesh asserted that the statement was “thoughtless and disastrous”, while adding that it an extraordinary “announcement” as the issue was not mentioned in the BJP manifesto.
“It’s another example of the ‘double engine haijinbi (lying) government’. I think the chief minister knows that his party is losing (in the upcoming election) and is sitting in the departure lounge waiting for BJP aircraft to take off,” he took a jibe at CM Biren.
It’s shocking that 48 hours before the campaign comes to a close, outgoing BJP CM announces that Indian Made Foreign Liquor(IMFL) shops will be opened. This is an insult to the women of Manipur! We demand an immediate withdrawal of the statement by the CM.#BJPAgainstIma pic.twitter.com/cdVajFdWqR
— Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) February 25, 2022
Maintaining that there are more urgent priorities in Manipur, Jairam Ramesh said that as of Thursday, only 48 percent of eligible people have got double doses of COVID vaccine. Manipur needs jobs, more Ima markets, farmers require MSP, he added.
“The BJP led government has been unable to stop the inflow of drugs to Manipur from Myanmar. On top of it, now IMFL shops will be opened,” he asked.
On the other hand, the Coalition Against Drugs and Alcohol (CADA) has slammed CM Biren for his controversial remark, asserting that it is not a statement of a leader.
Pointing out that 80 percent of the population in the state use some form of intoxicants, CADA added that as per the National Family Health Survey (2019-2020) by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, 37.5 percent of male and 0.9 percent of women above the age of 15 use alcohol.
CADA also slammed previous governments for not implementing the Manipur Liquor Prohibition Act, 1991, judiciously.
“Ibobi and Biren’s state governments tried to push for export of local brews. But they had to retract on both occasions due to backlash from the people,” it added.
CADA, which has also been conducting awareness campaigns against the use of drugs and alcohol in election campaigns, lamented that the manifestos of political parties did not explicitly mention the curbing of illicit drugs and alcohol.
CADA also urged the voters of the state not to support those candidates involved in drugs and other illicit substances businesses, and those having criminal antecedents involving directly or indirectly with drugs related cases.
Meanwhile, the Thoubal District United Women’s Development Organisation (Thoubal Ima) also condemned CM Biren’s statement and demanded apologies.
Stating that it was an “irresponsible” statement, Thoubal Ima asserted that there is no reason to say that CM Biren is someone who doesn’t care about the people, while acting like a leader.