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GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address a rally in Imphal on Tuesday morning to push for BJP’s second successive term in the state amid yet another boycott and total shutdown call by a conglomerate of four Myanmar-based pro-secession militant groups of the state, who have called the elections as furthering of “imperialism.”
The poll-bound state has already witnessed pre-poll violence and BJP’s ally, NPF, in the outgoing government in the state as well as in Meghalaya, has lodged a complaint with the EC about attempts by militants to disrupt the election process.
On Sunday night, two Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) personnel on poll duty were hurt in a bomb blast about 40 km away from Imphal. Last Friday, unidentified gunmen shot and injured the father of a National People’s Party (NPP) candidate in Andro constituency near the family’s residence in Manipur’s Imphal East district.
This is the third time the conglomerate of UNLF, RPF/PLA, People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak and the People’s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (Progressive), known as CorCom, declared a total shutdown of the state during Modi’s visit.
The CorCom is also critical of the continuation of AFSPA in the state as well in other parts of the northeast. While all other parties participating in the election have promised to ensure withdrawal of the draconian law from the state, BJP has remained silent on the Act in public rallies as well as in its manifesto just the way it had chosen to skirt the CAA issue in the Assam assembly election last year.
On Modi’s last visit to the state on January 4 this year, the conglomerate had imposed a total shutdown across the state saying that “people should not support the visit of Hindu fanatic leaders, who are out to destroy Kangleipak (Manipur).” Modi had faced the same boycott call from this conglomerate duringhis earlier visit to the state in 2019 before the Lok Sabha election.
Manipur’s first phase election will be held on February 28. Modi is scheduled to address a public meeting at Luwangpokpa Multi Sports Complex at Imphal.
The CorCom appealed to the “people to support the boycott call by enforcing the total shutdown which will remain effective until the PM leaves the state.”



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