Sadar Hills ADC row rages
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 01 2012:
The crisis gripping Sadar Hills Autonomous District Council persists as councillors opposed to chairman Haokholal Hangsing have reportedly declined to accept posts offered to them by the Core Committee of the Congress Party.
The Opposition councillors are said to be demanding revocation of the Committee's order suspending three councillors from the primary membership of the Congress party for their anti-party activities without which the offer for different posts in the Council would not be considered.
Following the expulsion of former Council chairman SH Seipu and suspension of three Congress councillors loyal to Seipu, the group opposed to appointment of Haokholal Hangsing as the chairman was reduced to a minority in the 26 member Council where Hangsing currently enjoys the support of 12 councillors, comprising of 11 Congress and one independent councillor.
Interestingly, five independent councillors are in support of Seipu.
Barely two months after Haokholal Hangsing was appointed chairman of the Council, the group led by Seipu revolted consequently leading to the Congress party's Core Committee expelling Seipu and suspending three other Congress councillors namely Lunthang Haokip, Lamkholen Kipgen and Thangoulun Kipgen from the party's primary membership.
According to information received here, the Core Committee offered posts of vice president and executive members to Congress councillors opposed to Hangsing after the Opposition group with the backing of some other councillors started intense campaign to oust Hangsing.
Even though the said posts were reportedly offered some days back, the Opposition group had been rejecting the proposal with the assertion that suspension of the three Seipu loyalists be first revoked.
Due to the prevailing dissension, administrative work of the Council has been severely crippled with the exception of some official procedures currently processed from the Council's temporary office here in the capital.
According to sources in the Congress Bhavan relevant processes are underway to revoke the suspension order of the three Congress councillors.