War on drugs, eviction drives not against any community: Biren

Guwahati: Manipur CM N Biren Singh on Monday said his govt’s initiatives, including the “war on drugs” and eviction drives to remove encroachments in reserved forests, were not aimed at any specific community but were part of broader efforts for the betterment of the state.

He said drugs worth Rs 60,000 crore have been seized and 18,000 hectares of poppy cultivation destroyed in the last six years, and those affected by such operations would naturally be frustrated. Biren was speaking at the golden jubilee celebrations of the All Manipur Working Journalists’ Union at the press club in Imphal.

A former journalist himself, Biren said, “When I was in the media profession, drug menace had led to a huge number of HIV-infected cases. That’s why I thought about taking up the drug issues after becoming the chief minister. It destroyed generations. I declared the war on drugs. It was not targeted against any community.”

On eviction drives to clear encroachments in reserved forests, Biren said, “I wanted to save forests. Eviction was not carried out in the hills alone. Even in valley districts, many people were evicted for encroachment.”

“But the govt’s eviction drives were interpreted as actions against one community. We never worked against any community and neither will we do it,” he added.

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