Imphal, November 18 2009: Some leaders of All India Congress Committee (AICC) are said to be favouring replacing Chief Minister, O Ibobi, if source here is to be believed.

The replacement may take place by the first week of December, the source claimed.

The source said, in the wake of the nearly three and half month-old agitation against the Chief Minister following the expos� of Khwairamband market incident by tehelka.com, a five member committee of AICC had been constituted to look into possible replacement of O Ibobi from the post of Chief Minister.

The members of the Committee will be visiting Imphal very soon, the source claimed.

Treasurer of AICC, Ahmed Patel is one of the members of the Committee, the source said and revealed that the five member committee had come to Manipur twice or thrice to cull reports of the situation.

He further said that the All India Youth Congress Committee (AIYCC), has taken serious note of the Khwairamband market incident, the long agitations of Apunba Lup and JACs, and the class boycott stir launched by three student bodies.

The AIYCC has been pressurising the leaders of the parent body AICC to remove O Ibobi from the Chief Minister's post, the source said.

He said that top leaders of AICC including Sonia Gandhi had discussed the matters of Manipur seriously and decided to form the Committee to look into the affairs in Manipur.

Therefore, the Committee is going to visit Manipur, the source claimed.

However, the source refused to disclose who would replace O Ibobi as the Chief Minister if, at all, he is going to be removed.

The AICC will decide the matter, he said.

The source dropped a bombshell when he said that in the event of the AICC not taking up any action to remove Chief Minister Ibobi, the Centre is likely to keep the Manipur Legislative Assembly under animated suspension.

On the other hand, a Minister and an MLA who are at present in New Delhi ridiculed the claim of the Chief Minister's detractor as a pure bunkum saying that there was no such thing happening in the AICC.

They are also in touch with many leaders of the party, and know very well, they said.

Meanwhile, MPCC president and MLA Gaikhangam has left Imphal for Delhi today.

Deputy Chairman of State Planning Board, MLA Bijoy Koijam has also left for Delhi today.

Chief Minister O Ibobi, who was scheduled to leave for Delhi today, has not left.

RD & PR, MOBC, Science & Technology Minister, Md Allauddin is already in New Delhi.

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