Imphal, Jan 11: The Congress party in Manipur has accused the BJP-led state government of paying Rs 6.27 crore to a militant outfit, the Hmar People’s Convention (Democratic) (HPC-D), in July 2024, without adhering to established norms.
In a press conference on Saturday, Manipur Congress president Keisham Meghachandra claimed that the payment violated procedures as the state government had officially withdrawn from the Suspension of Operations (SoO) agreement with the HPC-D in February 2023. The SoO agreement, which was signed in 2013 when Congress was in power, had allowed the group to operate without firearms in exchange for ceasing hostilities.
Meghachandra pointed out that, despite the government’s formal withdrawal from the agreement through a cabinet resolution and a Manipur Assembly resolution in February 2024, the Rs 6.27 crore was still disbursed by the state government, not the Centre. This raised concerns about the legitimacy of the payment, especially amid ongoing ethnic violence in the state.
The Congress also referred to a previous payment of Rs 27.38 crore made to SoO signatories by the BJP government in 2022, which is currently under investigation by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) for potential violations of financial guidelines.