I am ready to face any enquiry, says former Manipur CM on CBI raids

Indian National Congress's Bipin Bora has shared his disappointment over the CBI raids in different locations accusing former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh of misappropriating crore of rupees as former chairman of Manipur Development Society (MDS). Ibobi Singh was sitting on a strike in New Delhi opposing Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

New Delhi: On the day when Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has conducted raids in different locations accusing former Manipur Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh of misappropriating crore of rupees as former chairman of Manipur Development Society (MDS), the latter claimed himself clean and said that he is ready to face any enquiry.

The CBI move was, however, vehemently criticised by Congress lawmaker and Rajya Sabha MP Ripun Bora.

"Ibobi Singh is a very senior and experienced administrator of Northeast. Manipur is a strategically important state and Ibobi Singh was the Chief Minister for several terms. He came here to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah, but he was not given any appointment," said Bora adding "It's a narrow political consideration. As he is a Congress leader he was not given time. This is a political hatred."

Bora further said that the Central government is using the country's premier investigation agency, CBI, like a puppet.

"Government is using CBI as a puppet just to harass selected Congress leaders. They are using ED and IT to get political mileage. This is injustice and misuse of constitutional power," said Bora who is also the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president.

Referring to the CBI raids, former Chief Minister of Manipur Okram Ibobi Singh told ETV Bharat that he is ready to face any enquiry.

"I have told them that they're welcome for any enquiry. If I have committed anything wrong I am ready to face punishment, I will give full support," said Ibobi Singh.

Ibobi Singh was sitting on a strike in New Delhi opposing Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB).

Official sources, meanwhile, said that CBI has conducted raids and searches at 9 locations including Aizawal, Imphal and Gurugram in a case relating to misappropriation of government funds.

CBI has registered a case against Okram Ibobi Singh, the then chairman of MDS, and several other officials.

Officials said that the case was registered on the request of Manipur government and further notification from the central government.

It was alleged that Okram Ibobi Singh when he was the chairman of MDS from 2009 to 2017, he along with others misappropriated government funds to the tune of ₹332 crore.

The fund was meant for the development works.