Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president and former Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh has accused the ruling BJP of exploiting the allegations against Lok Sabha MP Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam to divert public attention from the multiple crises confronting Manipur, asserting that the law should take its own course.
Reacting to accusations levelled against the MP by the state BJP leadership, Ibobi said the allegations surrounding the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) professor had become a political issue at a time when Manipur continued to grapple with deepening divisions and unresolved conflicts.
He questioned the BJP’s priorities, arguing that instead of concentrating on measures to address the state’s prolonged crisis, the ruling party was seeking political mileage from the controversy involving Bimol.
“Manipur has been haunted by various issues since the BJP came to power. The state has witnessed recurring crises involving the Kuki-Meitei and Naga-Kuki communities. Instead of addressing these problems, the BJP is diverting attention by politicising the allegations against Professor Bimol,” Ibobi said while speaking to media persons at Congress Bhavan.
Ibobi also questioned the timing of the allegations against Bimol, pointing out that no such controversy had come to his notice during the MP’s 20 to 30 years of academic career at JNU. He noted that the allegations surfaced only after Bimol entered Parliament.
“I don’t have any comment on the development, as the law will take its own course, no matter how long it takes,” Ibobi said.
His remarks came amid the political confrontation between the Congress and the BJP over the allegations against Bimol, who has emerged as a prominent political voice from Manipur in Parliament.
Ibobi accused the BJP of shifting the political narrative away from the state’s unresolved problems, contending that the ruling party should be held accountable for its response to the crises rather than using the allegations against an opposition MP to gain political advantage.
While Ibobi refrained from commenting on the merits of the allegations, his central argument was that the matter should be dealt with through due process of law, without being turned into a political instrument.
