CM rejects campaign-at-Bungalow slur
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 19 2008: MAKING A gentle dig at a section of the press, State Chief Minister Okram Ibobi has vehemently denied that any election campaign meeting was ever held at the official bungalow of the Chief Minister.

Ibobi denied that a public meeting or any kind of election campaign was ever held at the official bungalow as alleged by certain section of the press a few days ago.

He said, having come so long as a politician, he knew at least what entails violation of model code of conduct.

The Chief Minister was addressing a huge gathering at Chingei ground at Moirang where Bisnupur District Congress Workers' Political Conference cum 93rd Birth Anniversary of M Koireng was held this afternoon.

Chief Minister O Ibobi further asked, "Can't the people, whether from Moirang or Kwakta or Thoubal or Bishnupur, meet the Chief Minister during the election time? Which rule says that people can't meet the Chief Minister during the election time?" .

He said, so many people , in average 100 or 200, come to meet him daily for different issues�may be about the death of a person or something else.

Even the opposition members bring hordes of people to meet him on one or other issues.

But a section of the press had alleged that election campaign was being conducted at the official bungalow.

Chief Minister O Ibobi, Cong candidate M Prithviraj ( extreme left), Gaikhangam, ministers and MLAs

The Chief Minister was referring to a particular photograph of some people being whisked by police before allowing them to enter the gate of the CM's official bungalow a few days back alleging that voters of Kwakta were gathering at the bungalow in relation to the Moirang AC by-election.

Following the publication of the photograph, the MPP had lodged a complaint with the Chief Electoral Officer of Manipur stating that the Chief Minister has violated election model code of conduct.

The Chief Minister said that he has received a notification from the Election Commission of India asking to him to give explanation about the allegation.

Regarding allegations made by some MPP MLAs that ministers and MLAs of Congress had siphoned off funds released by the Centre, Chief Minister Ibobi said, the opposition should substantiate their charges by giving specific example.

Or else their charges sound hollow.

He said, it has come to his notice that certain polticians, who were once Chief Minister of Manipur and who have joined BJP leaving different political parties in series, had criticised the Congress led SPf government.

These people keep changing flag everytime election is held.

Likewise, those in the MPP are also well-known to the people.

After changing parties, defecting from one to another, they have now converged at the MPP.

They are using politics as business in order to get opportunities and personal gains.

People should not allow themselves to be misled by the lies of those opportunists, Ibobi said.

Saying that these people defected from the Congress after taking advantages, the Chief Minister asserted, this time the electorates need to teach them a lesson so that they will not be able to get up.

He said, he did not like to talk much in this by-election, but in the Lok Sabha election, he would not spare them and would give them appropriate scathing.

Referring to the criticisms of the opposition MPP that the Congress candidate Prithviraj was too young, Chief Minister Ibobi said, since the MPP could not find any fault with the late MLA M Manindar, father of Prithviraj, they were saying that he was too young.

It seems they don't know that once a person is 18 years old, he can not only caste his vote but also can contest in the election.

Therefore, the electorate should take what the opposition said with a pinch of salt, Ibobi said and appealed to the electorate of Moirang AC to vote for Prithviraj.

Mentioning about the late Moirang Koireng, Ibobi said that he was a fearless man who never compromised his integrity and principles.

President of MPCC, Gaikhangam, who also spoke at the function, pointed out that Moirang Koireng was a great freedom fighter and one of the eminent leaders of India.

In connection with the by-election, Gaikhangam said, they thought that there was no opposition in Manipur.

But when election came, the opposition has re-appeared.

Gaikhangam compared the opposition parties with the jackals saying that in summer time, people thought there was no jackal.

But when winter set in, the jackal started howling.

Likewise as election was announced, the opposition has begun clamouring.

He made a dig at the opposition MLAs who always seemed to gather around the Chief Minister.

He said, his party workers and functionaries often complained to him that they can't get access to the Chief Minister as the opposition MLAs were always surrounding him.

Congress candidate M Prithviraj said, when one talks about the history of Manipur, it can not be complete without a mention about Moirang.

Likewise when we talk about Manipur's politics, it can not be complete without mentioning Moirang Koireng.

Following the ideals of his great grandfather M Koireng, his late father Manindra had tried to carry out various developmental works.

But he could not complete the works.

Now, he decided to become a candidate with the pledgethat he would complete what his father couldn't.He emotionally appealed to the people to vote for him.

Vice president of MPCC, Ak Mirabai, Agriculture Minister N Loken, MLAs T Mangibabu and Govindas Konthoujam and ex-MLA Md Hesham Uddin also spoke.

Chief Minister Ibobi led the people in offering flowers and obeisance to the photograph of the late leader M Koireng.

The conference adopted 9 point resolution.