TMB Report
Imphal: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) Vice-President Hareshwar Goshwami has slammed Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Education Dr RK Ranjan contending that the Union Minister has misled the people on issues including Indo-Myanmar border and Kabow Valley. Being an MP representing the State and Union Minister of State for External Affairs & Education, Dr RK Ranjan has done nothing to resolve the protracted border pillar dispute. The Minister is busy in hectic criticising and blaming the Congress party, hurling false allegations, cutting ribbon and candle lighting functions during his four years tenure as an MP and Union Minister in the Central Government, the
Congress spokesman charged while briefing reporters at a press meet held at Congress Bhawan here on Thursday.
Hareshwar Goshwami further said that when Dr. RK Ranjan was first elected as Lok Sabha MP in 2019, followed by induction as Union Minister of State in the Narendra Modi-led Council of Ministers, people of the State expected a lot from him that he, being an intellectual and scholar, will make his best effort to resolve the protracted border dispute.
Unfortunately, Dr. RK Ranjan has been blaming the Congress party instead of resolving the issue. The Union Minister has failed to utter even a single word from his mouth till date about resolving the issue despite knowing the historical facts about the boundary between Myanmar and Manipur, he said.
Reacting sharply against the statement made by RK Ranjan during a recent campaign ‘Gao Gao Chalo, Ghar Ghar Chalo’ at Khoijuman village in Bishnupur district that Kabow Valley was given away to Burma under ‘Treaty of Yandabo’, Hareshwar Goswami clarified that the word ‘Kabaw Valley’ was never mentioned in the treaty.
MP RK Ranjan during a meeting with Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in March 2020, informed the Union Minister that Kabow Valley measuring about 22, 210 Sq Km was given away to Burma (now Myanmar) under the treaty of Yandabo, 1826″, which is totally wrong and distortion of historical records. The word ‘Kabaw Valley’ was never mentioned in the ‘Treaty of Yandabo’, he said.
He clarified that the agreement regarding Kabaw Valley was signed between Major F.J. Grant and Captain Pamberton at Sunayachil Ghaut situated at Ningthi (Chindwin) river on January 9, 1834, the day on which Manipur King Gambhir Singh died.
Kabaw Valley and Treaty of Yandabo have no relation directly in any angle. Kabow valley was given away in 1834 while Congress party was established in 1885 a gap of 50 years, then how Congress is blamed over the Kabow valley issue, he questioned.
Rebutting the statement of RK Ranjan that the compensation amount of Kabaw Valley was paid by the then Burma Government to the Indian Government from 1947 to 1953, the Congress Spokesman said that actually the compensation amount was paid by the British Government to Manipur, not by the Burma Government as per records available at the National Archives.
The clear evidence is the “Agreement regarding compensation for Kabo Valley” signed between Major F. J Grant and Captain Pamberton at Langthabal on January 25, 1834. According to the then media reports, it said ‘After the transfer of power in 1947, the Burmese Government paid the amount to the Government of India which in turn, passed on the same amount to Manipur, he said.
Goshwami demanded Dr. RK Ranjan to produce relevant documents regarding payment of compensation by Burma to Manipur. With regard to the statement of Dr. Ranjan on the Indo-Burma Boundary Agreement signed in 1967, he clarified that when the Indo-Burma Agreement was signed on March 10, 1967, the then Manipur was under President Rule.
For the last many decades, the Congress along with the then State Government has been protecting the State boundary from time to time. As an example, in 1981, a team led by the then Deputy Chief Minister Late Irengbam Tompok Singh, Minister of Medical Late Th. Krishna Singh and Minister (Industries) Late Holkhomang Haokip visited Molcham and inspected the disputed boundary.
Following the inspection tour, a detailed report was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs by the Special Secretary (Home) L. Jugeshwar Singh on November 9, 1981. In 2013, under the then SPF State Government along with all political parties went to Delhi and pressurized to resolve the border issue. BJP which was chanting “Left-right” wearing loose pants at Nagpur by that time won’t know it, he added.
With regard to Dr RK Ranjan’s allegations that the revenue related scandals erupted during the tenure of Goswami who was Deputy Secretary of Revenue, Hareshwar Goshwami said that he will consult with senior Congress leaders about the allegations and will try to file a defamation case against RK Ranjan very soon.
