MPCC to AMUCO: Rahul Gandhi's speech in Aizawl quoted out of context, says Meghachandra.

The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) has clarified that the statement made by Rahul Gandhi in Mizoram, which was published in the media, has been quoted out of context by the All Manipur United Clubs' Organisation (AMUCO).

In response to the AMUCO's demand for clarification from MPCC and All India Congress Committee (AICC) over the statement of Rahul Gandhi in Aizawl, the President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, K. Meghachandra, said that Rahul Gandhi's speech on the 'idea of Manipur' is oneness among different communities of Manipur which he had said is being destroyed by the BJP's misgovernance.

Addressing a press conference in the Congress Bhavan, Imphal, on Wednesday, the Manipur Congress President said that as per the contents of Rahul speech, which is available even in Congress website, Rahul had said that the politics of hatred had created division in Manipur, which needed to be repaired.

Rahul had said, “When I went from Kuki area to Meitei area, no kuki would come with me and the same happenned when I went from Meitei areas to Kuki area. The politics of division and hatred has created a division in Manipur and that division is to be repaired and a bridge needed to be built between the two communities.”

Meghachandra said that it is neither the duty, nor the authority of an organisation like AMUCO to decide whether a political party like Congress should function in Manipur or not. Existence of a political party is in the ambit of the Constitution of India, he said and made an appealed to AMUCO that it should refrain from making such statement in future.

The President also said he holds high regards to AMUCO as an apex body of clubs organization in the State. However, its statement in response to Rahul Gandhi speech in Mizoram seems like AMUCO is the mouth piece of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), he added.

Meghachandra said, “There are BJP MLAs or Ministers who have been demanding for separate administration in Manipur. But, did AMUCO serve an ultimatum to those ministers? if not, why was it not done? Why AMUCO is silent on that matter?"

The MPCC President further said that there was no demand for separate administration during the Congress regime but only during the BJP government. The Prime Minister of India is still silent over the issue in Manipur but he is showing concern over the war in Israel, he added.

In regards to poppy cultivation, Meghachandra said that the Congress party can give a suggestion to the State government to eradicate poppy cultivation in Manipur if it is not capable of solving it. The Congress could bring an end to poppy cultivation in two years if it is in power, he said