Manipur News

IMPHAL, June 30: The State cabinet could witness a reshuffle soon, with the number Congress MLAs seeking a reshuffle growing.

The number of MLAs pressuring for a reshuffle of the 10 cabinet seats increased to 27 today. The Congress has altogether 47 MLAs in the 60 Member House.

Meanwhile, sources said the Chief Minister has assured the dissident MLAs that he will apprise the AICC leaders of their demand.

The Chief Minister accompanied by his deputy will be leaving Imphal for the national capital to attend an official meeting of the AICC.

Speaking to the media on the sideline of the Tribal Peace & Harmony Award 2013-2014 distribution function at MFDC Auditorium today, the Chief Minister said any reshuffle in the cabinet can be affected only with the directive from the AICC chief.

He had also said that he will be attending an AICC meeting tomorrow along with deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and that he will apprise the demands of the MLAs to the AICC high command.

The MLAs were only suggesting ways to strengthen the party and to make the works of the government more transparent, he had told the media regarding a meeting with the MLAs today.

It was a constructive move of the MLAs and could be considered on the lines of the CLP meeting held every month, the Chief Minister said.

Sources also informed that the Chief Minister has assured to discuss the AICC leaders’ decision with the MLAs soon after his return.

Spokesperson of the 27 Congress MLAs seeking cabinet reshuffle, Kakching MLA Surchandra informed during a press meet that the MLAs had met with the Chief Minister at his office chamber demanding the reshuffle today.

He said the Chief Minister had noticed the sentiments of the MLAs and had assured to apprise the AICC leaders of the MLAs sentiments.

21 dissident MLAs met with the Chief Minister this morning around 8.15 and discuss on their demand for a reshuffle, sources said.

It is also learnt from highly placed sources that the meeting continued for about one hour behind closed doors.

The MLAs had sought an assurance of the reshuffle from the Chief Minister to be announced before the upcoming State Assembly Session, informed the source.

They had placed before the Chief Minister that their demand is not anti-Congress nor is it an act against the government, said the source.

The reshuffle will infact save and strengthen the party ahead of the coming election, the MLAs are believed to have asserted before the Chief Minister.

Further according to the sources, the MLAs appealed for rotation of the portfolios among the party MLAs and allow them to serve under the leadership of the Chief Minister and the deputy Chief Minister.

Showing dissent over the conduct of some of the present ministers in the State cabinet, the MLAs complained that access to some of the minister was a problem and many of them were uncooperative and they sometimes even allow other MLAs to handle work in their constituencies, informed the source.

If this trend continues for a few more years, it would be a downfall for the party, the MLAs had asserted during the meeting with the Chief Minister, the source said.

On the other hand, the Chief Minister had suggested the discussion of the demand during a CLP meeting which was flatly refused by the MLAs on the ground that the minister will never accept to step down which could create bigger problems inside the party instead of solving a simple issue.

The 21 MLAs who met with the Chief Minister had later conveyed a meeting at the official quarter of Lamlai MLA Biren, sources said.

Sources also claimed that the MLAs are preparing a memorandum highlighting their demand to be submitted to AICC president Sonia Gandhi.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/mlas-seeking-reshuffle-increase-cm-to-apprise-aicc-leaders/

IMPHAL, June 30: “The Kukis under the aegis of the Kuki Inpi Manipur (KIM) will hold a peaceful protest rally July 4, 2014 to air grievances over the lackadaisical attitude of the Government of India towards the plight of the Kukis who had endured the criminal and genocidal acts of the NSCN-IM in the 1990s,” said a press release from KIM.

It said the rally will be carried out in Imphal and other places in the hill districts including, Moreh, Tengnoupal, Kangpokpi, Saikul, Churachandpur, Jiribam/Phaitol, Mongneljang Ukhurl Dist. and Imphal.

“The Government of India’s glaring apathy and negligence towards the plight of the Kuki people who terribly suffered against terrorism of NSCN-IM during 1990-1997 has become an issue of retrospection whether justice exists or not.”

“During the course of the NSCN-IM’s genocide pogrom, the Government of India had remained a mute spectator when the NSCN-IM murdered 905 innocent Kukis, including children, women, invalids and the old aged; uprooted 360 villages to snatch way their lands; and displaced 1,00,000 people who are still unable to go back to their own villages,” it claimed.

The statement said that the Kukis have urged the government of India to first settle the grievances or the plights of the Kukis before any possible agreement is reached with the NSCN-IM.

“The crime of the NSCN-IM should be examined in a proper Court of Law in the country and the perpetrators of the crime must be punished to the satisfaction of all concerns,” it demanded.

“Lest, whatever agreement proposed with the NSCN will become the cause of violence and unrest, and the government shall be responsible.”

“All the able bodied men, women, the young and old of the Kuki people are required to participate in the rally to show our solidarity in the demand for justice long denied to us,” it called upon the Kukis.

The Kuki Inpi has appealed for cooperation and support from all CSOs of the Kuki people.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/kukis-to-take-out-peaceful-protest-rally-against-nscn-im/

IMPHAL, June 30: Three-day festival of Khubak Eshei gets underway today afternoon at Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy mandap. The festival is being organised as part of the Diamond Jubilee Celebrations of the Academy.

Speaking at the inaugural function vice chairman of the Academy, Prof N Tombi Singh stated that Khubak Esei is associated with the of RathaJatra festival in Manipur. The RathaJatra of Govindajee was started in the reign of Maharaj Gambheer Singh in the 19th century AD.

He further said that mandap in locals are the bedrock of our cultural performances. It helps in the up-liftmen of art & culture of the state because this is the place where performance arts are practiced till today, he maintained.

Retd Pradhan Guru of the Academy, S Thanil Singh lauded for organising such festival of “Khubak Esei” which will benefit in its development. He expressed that the state is rich in art & culture and it is known and respected by the world; and most of the art and culture performances in the state are not borrowed from outside, they are our own.

L Upendra Sharma, Director of the Academy speaking to IFP said the art form of Khubak Eshei is dwindling down, though the rich grandeur of the art is still intact. “One of the reasons could be that the art form is performed only during the Ratha Jatra festival, we have purposely organised the festival during the month of Kang”, he said.

He said the Academy is committed to promote the art. There is also Nupi Khubak Eshei in the pipeline, he added.

The inaugural performance was given by Wangkhei Pana and Khwai Pana under the supervision of Y Shamu Singh and Y Jatra Singh respectively. Khurai Pana and Yaiskul Pana will perform on the second day and on the concluding day there will be Jayadev Chongba and Challi Pareng.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/khubak-eshei-festival-begins-at-jnmd-academy/

IMPHAL, June 30: RK Sanatomba Memorial Journalist Award ceremony was held today at the Jawaharlal Nehru Manipur Dance Academy auditorium, Imphal.

“Today’s artist have failed to internalised the violence that has been very much part of the Manipuri reality”, claimed Prof Arambam Lokendra, during the function.

He was delivering a lecture on ‘Violence and Performing Arts in Manipur’.

He said today’s artist lack the capacity to internalise the violence unlike the artists of yesteryears, who were not only gifted with artistic sensibilities, but were also perceptive of the immediate political environment.

He observed that today’s artists are more into running after awards, in the sense that awards are the ultimate artistic goal.

Prof Lokendra was delivering the RK Sanatomba memorial lecture on the latter’s death anniversary, at a jam-packed auditorium of the JND Academy this afternoon.

Ningthouja Lancha highlighting the essence of the function said it is important to recall the works of RK Sanatomba, who during his youthful days had dreamt and worked for the cause of a just society.

He said Sanatomba was a forward looking journalist, whose thoughts were well reflected in the editorials of the journal ‘Kangla Lanpung’ of which he was the editor.

The award was instituted to encourage the journalist of the State, Ningthouja Lancha said during the function.

He said Sanatomba was a victim of misconstrued violence, resultant action of misperception among the armed opposition groups.

Summer edition of the journal ‘Kangla Lanpung’ was also released during the function.

The journal features articles written by Dr Homen Thangjam, Dr H Sukhdev and Malem Ningthouja.

The RK Sanatomba Memorial Journalist Award for investigative journalism was conferred to Hueyen Lanpao’s reporter Meisnam Karanajit for his investigative reporting in 2013.

The award includes a cash prize of Rs 10, 000 and a citation.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/todays-artists-have-failed-to-internalised-violence/

IMPHAL, June 30: Organisation for Movement of Indigenous Peoples of Manipur with the pledge of protecting the identity of the indigenous people of the State has already launched various campaigns to promulgate Inner Line Permit System in the State. With “No ILP, No Rest” slogan, wall poster and badging campaign took off today as part of the movement.

The campaign took off at Pallel Bazar today.

Inaugurating the badging campaign, OMIPM convenor Sagolshem Umakanta said since a long time the people of Manipur had been living together as brothers and sisters.

However, today prolonged influx of outsiders in the State, the indigenous comunities are facing shortage of land and food, he said.

The arrival of trains in the STate in some more years will only aggravate the problems, he said before adding that the people need to check this influx.

Present in today’s campaign were President and Secretary of Aimol Students Union, Manipur and functionaries of Aimol Tribes Union, Manipur. Reaching out the campaign in and around the Pallel Bazar, the student leaders and community leaders of Aimol tribe told the media that they will give cooperation in the demand for implementation of ILP in the State. Badges were distributed to the public along with wall posters at different corners.

The convener of the campaign further said that the week long campaign will cover most parts of the State. The next target of the campaign will be house to house visit and educate the people about the ILP, he added.

He said OMIPM has already submitted a memorandum to the CM of Manipur, demanding that ILP should be implemented in the State before August 9, which is the International Day of Indigenous people.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/wall-poster-and-badging-campaign-on-ilp-kicks-off/

IMPHAL, June 30: The authority of Aimol Village, located north of Pallel Bazaar along the Imphal-Moreh road, has put an ultimatum to the State government to impose an indefinite blockade if their long standing demands are not met at the earliest.

This was stated by office bearers of the Aimol Tribes Union, Manipur (ATUM) in a press meet in its office at Aimol Tampak on Monday. Ch. Sote Aimol, ATUM’s general secretary and former president, told media persons that the illegal encroachment by various groups of people in a place about 300 feet between Pallel Bazaar and the route leading to Aimol Tampak has been going on for some time.

“Formal requests have been sent to evict these encroachers to the Deputy Commissioner,Thoubal and SDO/SDC, Kakching for quite some time. But, they didn’t act on our requests. We have personally met the concerned MLA of the Kendra DK Korengthang and put pressure on him. The MLA hasn’t done anything after initially promising that he will turn things around,” he added.

He said that ATUM launched various forms of agitations including the blocking of the Imphal-Moreh road last month but to no avail, adding that a memorandum will be submitted to the Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh the next day.

If the illegal encroachment doesn’t stop after seven days from the day of submission of the memorandum, an agitation will be launched to blockade the Imphal-Moreh road on the eighth day, he said.

ATUM general secretary further stated that Aimol Tampak is a small village with Tegnoupal on the east, Tuisorok River on the south, Sekmai River on the north and Pallel on the west, adding that the total population of the village is yet to touch 10,000 and Aimol is one of the smallest tribes.

“The villagers can’t agree to the State government’s decision to acquire 600 acres of land in the village to start various development projects. The people of the village will strongly oppose the State government’s policy,” he said.

Lamenting that, on the other hand, people from different communities now has established their settlements in nine villages at the sparsely populated Aimol Tampak raising apprehensions among the Aimol people whether they will gradually become extinct, he appealed to stop establishing new settlements by other communities other than the ones that already exist.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/atum-warns-of-launching-fresh-agitations/

IMPHAL, June 30: The new NDA government led by Narendra Modi will collapse even before its first five year term ends. The NDA will only suffer like the AAP, as the government has failed to control the price hike in essential commodities and petroleum prices just in their first month of rule.

This was stated by Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee, president Gaikhangam today while releasing the first edition of the Manipur Pradesh Mahila Congress’ half-yearly magazine.

The BJP had made many promises it cannot keep to the people of the country to win the recent Lok Sabha Election, the State deputy Chief Minister said.

He elaborated the NDA will not be able to complete its present term as they had made sky high promises and failed to deliver which will lead to the collapse of the government.

“We are waiting on the commitment of the government to take up the 100-day action plan.”

Continuing to attack the BJP led NDA government in the Centre, the MPCC president said the government has forcibly imposed for the use of Hindi language which has raised problems in South India and the government.

This is no time for any infighting in the Congress, he said before adding that instead the party workers should try to find the weaknesses of the party which led to the loss in the recent LS polls.

If the government is close with people, no physical force can’t disturb and break it, he said.

He further lauded the Mahila Committee for the role it played during the recent LS poll in the State.

President of the Mahila Congress, RK Ranisana said the book released today is a compilation of the works undertaken by the Mahila Congress Committee during the period of June 14 to December 31, 2013.

The works include activities to strengthen the committee, taking up issues of women empowerment and fighting crime against women and children etc, she said.

Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2014/07/bjp-government-will-not-complete-full-term-gaikhangam-picks-at-nda/