Ibobi calls all-party meet on visitors' bill

Imphal, Mar 23 : Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh has convened an all-political party meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue arising out of the passing of Manipur Regulation of Visitors, Tenants and Migrant Workers Bill by the state Assembly.

The Joint Committee on Inner Line Permit, which launched an intense agitation demanding implementation of inner-line permit (ILP) in the state, prompting the state government to pass the bill, rejected it, saying it does not have anything to protect the interests of indigenous people.

The joint committee, a conglomerate of citizens' organisations, has been agitating, demanding withdrawal of the bill and passing of another one with provisions, among others, of fixing 1951 as the base year for identification of outsiders and disallow outsiders to own lands in Manipur.

The bill, which was passed by the state Assembly on March 16, has made registration by visitors, tenants and migrant workers mandatory after entering Manipur.

For visitors and tenants, the responsibility of registration lies with hotel, lodge, guesthouse or other private accommodation owners and for migrant workers it is the responsibility of contractors, who engage them, to get their names registered.

"The chief minister has convened an all-political party meeting tomorrow to discuss the issue of the joint committee's demand. Each party has been asked to send two representatives each to the meeting. Discussion on the bill after passing it is meaningless," a BJP leader, who received the invitation, told The Telegraph. The leader further asked what is the point of having a meeting on the bill after the state Assembly send it for seeking the assent of governor K.K. Paul.

A state Assembly source confirmed that the Assembly secretariat sent the bill to Raj Bhavan immediately after passing it to get the governor's assent.

In the face of rejection by the joint committee and political parties, the chief minister maintained that the bill could be amended whenever it is required to overcome any shortcoming.

Despite suggestions by majority of the members cutting across party line, who took part in the discussion on the bill to refer it to the select committee of the Assembly, Ibobi Singh pushed through the bill, prompting five members, including all the four members of the Trinamul Congress, to stage a walkout in protest.

"The BJP is strongly opposed to the bill, which is friendlier to visitors and against the interest of indigenous people. The BJP state unit gives full support to the people's agitation over the bill," party spokesperson R.K. Shivachandra Singh said.

The BJP urged all non-Congress parties in the state to unite against the bill.