Imphal, Jan 3 (PTI) The Congress in Manipur on Friday slammed Chief Minister N Biren Singh for constantly claiming that the challenges faced by the state are due to the failures of the previous government instead of properly dealing with the law and order situation.

The statement came hours after the chief minister claimed that those who are indulging in politics over his apology to the people on the 20-month-long ethnic conflict are seeking unrest in the state.

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The opposition party also asserted that the fencing work at the Indo-Myanmar border began during the tenure of the Congress and not that of the BJP as claimed by the CM.

The state and central governments have been saying that infiltration from Myanmar is one of the key causes of the ethnic violence between Meitei and Kuki communities in the northeastern state that left over 250 people dead since May last year.

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"The government and the chief minister are always making false allegations against the previous Congress government and playing blame games instead of performing its duties. If he apologised for the violence, he must also take responsibility," Manipur Congress Legislature Party leader O Ibobi Singh told reporters.

The CM on Tuesday apologised for the ethnic conflict in the state and appealed to all communities to forget and forgive past mistakes and start afresh.

Speaking on fencing along the Myanmar border, Ibobi Singh said during the 2010-11 financial year, the Centre approved the construction of fencing in 10 km.

“By 2013-14, 4.2 km of fencing works have been completed. Biren Singh, however, is claiming that border fencing began during his tenure and is taking credits for whatever is completed," the Congress leader said.

Ibobi Singh was the chief minister of Manipur between 2002 and 2017. Biren Singh became the CM when the BJP came to power in 2017.

"They are claiming that illegal immigrants entered Manipur only during the time of the Congress… However, I am told that according to MHA reports, a large number of illegal immigrants entered (the state) in 2021 after a military coup in Myanmar," Ibobi Singh said.

He also said Biren Singh has been consistently claiming that signing of Suspension of Operations agreement in 2008 as one of the major reasons for the violence. “However, despite being in power for 10 years, the NDA government has not abrogated the SoO,” he said.

The SoO agreement was signed by the Centre, Manipur government and two conglomerates of Kuki militant outfits - Kuki National Organisations and United Peoples Front. The pact was signed in 2008 and extended periodically.

"If something wrong is there with the SoO, the BJP government could have taken action… could have come out of the pact. Instead of taking appropriate law and order action, they are trying to shift the blame on the earlier government," the Congress leader said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)