Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh’s proposal to name the State’s districts after local fruits and spices have drawn flak.
Mr. Singh had toyed with the idea at a food processing technology exhibition under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) in Imphal West district on January 24.
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.
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Mr. Singh heads a coalition government where the BJP 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.
The Chief Minister had cited the examples of oranges in Tamenglong district, believed to be among the juiciest in the Northeast, the indigenous kachai lemon in Ukhrul and ginger in Pherzawl district to drive home his point.