Imphal, March 5: Manipur chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh today held talks with agitating members of organisations advocating the 27-character Meitei script.
The protesters had yesterday destroyed the foundation stone of a flyover laid by the chief minister after the government reportedly failed to meet their deadline for changing the inscription on the stone.
The organisations have claimed that the alphabets on the stone were “incorrect”.
Ibobi Singh laid the foundation stone for the Bir Tikendrajit flyover in the heart of the state capital on February 14.
The first ever flyover in the state is being constructed at a cost of Rs 25 crore. The Centre will provide the requisite funds.
Protesters belonging to several organisations advocating the Meitei script with 27 alphabets are now baying for the blood of municipal administration and urban development minister, L. Nadakumar Singh. They also burnt effigies of the minister.
Protesters stormed the foundation stone in the high security area of the state capital and smashed it to pieces yesterday. The police have already arrested six persons for causing damage to the stone on February 28. The six are now lodged in the Imphal jail. No one has been arrested so far in connection with yesterday’s incident.
The protesters have given the state government 10 days’ time to correct the alphabets. Ibobi Singh, however, insisted that he had no idea of the ultimatum.
There are two schools of thought regarding the Meitei script in the state. One group is advocating a 36-alphabet script while the other group is of the view that the 27-alphabet script was the true Meitei script.
The state government has already approved the 27-alphabet script and it has even been introduced in the primary level of school education.
During today’s talks, the protesters agreed to reconstruct the foundation stone jointly with the government, provided corrections were made.
However, Ibobi Singh reportedly insisted that his name should not be put on the reconstructed stone.
Later, the chief minister told newspersons that he would look into the row and make all possible efforts to settle it.