Imphal (Manipur) [India], September 4 (ANI): The Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) on Friday strongly condemned the alleged bomb attack on the private residence of Congress President Keisham Meghachandra, Thoubal district, describing the incident as an attack on democratic norms and the political process.
A bomb blast on Thursday was reported at around 8:15 PM near the residence of state Congress President Keisham Meghachandra Singh in Bishnunaha, Yairipok.
Addressing a press conference at Congress Bhavan, MPCC Vice President Hareshwar Goshwami said the Congress Party viewed the blast seriously and maintained that political differences should be resolved through dialogue and peaceful means.
“If there are differences of opinion, they should be negotiated and settled through dialogue and other peaceful means,” Goshwami said while condemning the attack.
He said the bombing was not merely an attack on an individual but also an assault on the Congress Party and the democratic system.
According to Goshwami, no individual or organisation has so far claimed responsibility for the attack. He said that if the incident was carried out by any recognised underground organisation, the group should come forward and clarify its position.
Goshwami also suggested that the attack could have been carried out by individuals allegedly acting at the instigation of others.
Referring to an earlier attack on his own residence, he said that incident too had not been claimed by any organisation and that the case remained pending without significant progress.
The vice president further accused the state government of acting in a partisan manner, particularly towards the Congress Party. He alleged that there had been several attacks around the MPCC office and that Congress workers had been taken into police custody in connection with various incidents, while adequate action had not been taken on complaints lodged by the party.
“We have records of all these incidents,” Goshwami said, alleging that the present BJP-led government had been particularly biased against the Congress Party.
He reiterated that violence and intimidation had no place in a democratic society and called for political disputes to be addressed through dialogue, constitutional processes and peaceful means.
Meanwhile, a large number of people at Yairipok Bishnunaha came out on the streets and staged a sit-in protest against the alleged bomb attack on Meghachandra’s residence. (ANI)
Manipur: Bomb blast near Congress Chief Meghachandra’s residence; Congress calls it assault on democratic values
