Dy CM lobs back Chaoba mud

IMPHAL, February 12: Deputy Chief Minister L Chandramani Singh today termed the charges levelled by the Union Minister of State for Food Processing T Chaoba against the Nipamacha Ministry as baseless. Chaoba yesterday charged Nipamacha with failure to maintain the law and order and financial mismanagement. He also accused the MSCP legislature wing of taking a decision to pull out of the NDA. Talking to reporters today the Deputy Chief Minister dismissed the allegations as an attempt to tarnish the image of the Nipamacha Government. He denied taking any decision by the legislature wing to pull out of the MSCP from the NDA. Reacting to the charges of financial mismanagement Chandramani admitted that implementation of the Fifth Pay recommendations is only one of the factors for the bad fiscal situation, but charged that Chaoba said nothing when a Cabinet sub-committee took the decision. The financial crisis is a countrywide phenomenon. He also charged that Chaoba did not extend any help to the UF Government in its efforts to prevent imposition of Central rule in Manipur. Denying the charge that the Centre is unwilling to pay money to Manipur as it has lost faith in the Nipamacha Government Chandramani said the two issues are not related. Every State is entitled to get its share notwithstanding its political affiliation, he added. The State is not receiving money from the Centre as it is unable to do resource mobilization as a result of the three month long political crisis, he claimed. He said Chief Minister's Delhi trip to get Prime Minister's clearance of Rs 200 crore market borrowing from the RBI has been delayed due to the ensuing Assembly session. Claiming that the Finance Ministry has already given the approval to the market borrowing Chandramani said once the market borrowing is okayed, the salaries of the employees would be paid without any delay. He also termed the "expulsion" of the eight Ministers as "unconstitutional." Reacting to Chaoba's charge that Niparhatha Ministry had surrendered to the Cenfr46 by submitting an Action Plan Chandramani denied the charge, saying that the Action Plan was formulated to foil Central intervention. He also accused Chaoba of blocking fund for road development under PMGY.