Imphal:
The Manipur Congress on Monday demanded an investigation by the Ministry of Health to find out if the Minister of Assam, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had followed the appropriate quarantine guidelines during his visit on Sunday.
The Vice President of the Manipur Congress, Kh. Ratankumar said, “The visiting chef had public interaction and we have photographic evidence of it.”
He did not, however, mention the name of the chief minister of Meghalaya and leader of the National People’s Party (NPP) Conrad K Sangma, who accompanied Sarma of the BJP to Imphal as part of the correction efforts between the two partners of the NDA in Manipur.
The congress leader of Manipur wondered if there are different quarantine policies in the state for different people.
“Are there separate directives for political opponents, including Congress, and unwritten directives for the BJP and its allies?” He asked.
He was referring to leaders of Congress – Gaurav Gogoi and Ajay Maken – who also came to the state last Friday and were immediately quarantined.
Mr. Sangma, who is also the national president of the NPP, and Mr. Sarma flew to the capital Manipur on Sunday and returned the same night.
Mr. Sarma is also president of the Northeast Democratic Alliance (NEDA).
They had come to identify the differences between the BJP and the NPP in Manipur. Last Wednesday, the state experienced a political crisis, triggered by the resignation of nine deputies from the BJP-led coalition, including four NPP ministers.
Ratankumar said before going to the state, Gogoi and Maken had gone through all the formalities, including obtaining airport approval for “landing a charter flight”.
“The leaders never met anyone” and went directly to the hotel where they were quarantined, in accordance with state SOPs, said Ratankumar. “It is regrettable that they are suspected of having violated quarantine protocols,” he told reporters.
He accused the government in power of being “partisan” and questioned the state’s quarantine policy.
For Maken and Gogoi, who had come to the state to take stock of the political situation, Monday is the fourth day of quarantine in their respective rooms in an Imphal hotel, designated as an institutional quarantine center.
Sarma, who heads Assam’s fight against the new coronavirus as state health minister, said on Sunday that he had not violated any of the COVID-19 guidelines.
“A person who comes for a day visit is exempt from quarantine in Assam and Manipur,” said Sarma.
Manipur witnessed a spike in COVID-19. The number of infections climbed to 841 on Monday. A total of 250 patients recovered, leaving 591 active cases.
(With the exception of the title, this story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
