Manipur Chief Minister Nongthombam Biren Singh’s proposal to name the State’s districts after local fruits and spices has drawn flak.
The Chief Minister had toyed with the idea at a food processing technology exhibition under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research in Imphal West district on January 24.
Mr. Singh heads a coalition government where the Bharatiya Janata Party is the major partner.
“The BJP government’s policy of rewriting history in this manner is to essentially belittle the history behind the naming of all the districts of Manipur,” Congress spokesperson Ningombam Bupenda Meitei said in a statement on Monday evening.
He also said that the Chief Minister’s idea was “irrational” and not in keeping with the sentiments of the people.
The Chief Minister had cited the examples of oranges in Tamenglong district, believed to be among the juiciest and sweetest in the northeast, the indigenous kachai lemon in Ukhrul district and ginger in Pherzawl district to drive home his point.
He, however, did not specify how the government would go about naming the districts.
Manipur has 16 districts, five in the central Imphal Valley and the rest in the hills around. Each district is known for growing a specific variety of fruit or herb.
