Former Chief Minister Wahengbam Nipamacha is no more. He was an iconic leader. The man who stood by his word. But his true quality was his simplicity, which he carried till his death. There was a big gathering at the sprawling Speaker’s bunglow at Kanglapat and Nipamcha was at the centre of attraction. Everybody from Ministers down to the common men was vying for a seat close to Nipamacha because he was still fresh as the new Chief Minister of Manipur and he was yet to shift to the Chief Minister’s bungalow. Soon after the press conference was over he started looking for his friends, who could not get close to him and moved near them jumping the enclosure rope. A young over smart Minister was seen holding the hand of the Chief Minister and kept on reminding him, sir you are now a big leader you cannot do that. But Nipamcha was adamant he mixed up with the old friends, who came from far off places. His four year period passed through a turbulent time. The state was facing serious financial crisis. With the non cooperative NDA Government at the centre running the state administration was an uphill task. Because smaller state like Manipur depends heavily on the centre for financial support. Even a nullah cannot be constructed without central assistance let alone big projects like dam and power project. But he singlehandedly faced all the problems that included the death of a student and pestering financial crisis. Nipamacha’s oratory was superb. His speeches are studded with witty remarks and thought provoking words. He had the ambition to cling to the top post but he never disclosed it. When the opposition moved no confidence motion against Chief Minister Rishang Keishing he was Speaker then. He compared himself with Bhisma of epic Mahabharat and said having eaten the morsel provided by Kaurav he had to take side with Kaurav. The motion was defeated. But Nipamcha had set the path of his own to reach the top post. What followed was history. He performed his duty judiciously. His decision as a speaker to disqualify four members of the house was upheld by the apex court. Manipur hosted V National Games when Nipamacha was the Chief Minister. The victory in the meet proved supremacy of Manipuris in the field of sports. Since then Manipuris continued to cling to the post in sporting arena. Like our own sports stars, who brought laurels enhancing the status of the state in particular and the country as a whole Nipamacha had performed well in political arena. Now he had rested. Let him rest in peace.
Read more / Original news source: http://manipur-mail.com/death-of-a-leader/
