Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 25 2009:
In continuation of the movement against the July 23 BT Road killings, the AMSU, MSF and KSA have declared ban on all kinds of development/construction works as well as paying Government taxes with effect from November 28 .
A joint statement issued by the three student bodies appealed to all contractors, suppliers and concerned officers to suspend their works.
It also asked owners of vehicles and machines used in construction works not to defy the ban.
The student bodies further appealed to all concerned to stop all kinds of entertainment programmes including cinema shows with effect from November 30 .
Because of the people's sustained movement against the Khwairamband killings, the Central Government has ultimately started putting heat on the Chief Minister.
Earlier, different civil society organisations, political parties and MPs belonging to different parts of India have condemned the killing.
What is more surprising here is the agitated reaction of DESAM when Ibobi was summoned to Delhi in connection with the people's movement.
This only showed that DESAM is still working hard to save Ibobi.
Reacting to the allegation of DESAM that some functionaries and volunteers of the three student bodies undertaking class boycott agitation have been appearing in some professional exams, the AMSU, MSF and KSA clarified that none of their functionaries appeared in any exams.
Conceding that some former functionaries may be appearing exams, the three student bodies said that if DESAM took former functionaries as incumbents, then they too would take H Ashirjit Luwang alias Boicha, who admitting himself in Manipur University using forged certificate, as incumbent president of DESAM.
Despite repeated failures, DESAM is still putting odds against the strong movement of the student bodies and the people being undertaken to secure right to live, they asserted.
Under the same scheme of things, DESAM has been supporting every decision taken by the Government to quell the people's movement without ever questioning the rationality or truthfulness of the Government decisions.
Referring to the allegation of DESAM that the ongoing class boycott is class ban, the AMSU, MSF and KSA asked whether the acts of forcing students to stage sit-in-protest and acts of arson committed by DESAM during the general strike called against arrest of some of its leaders be called class cum transport ban.
This act of DESAM denied education to students even as they were attending schools.
That too was for the cause of DESAM only, not related with the people.
Had DESAM been not acting at the behest of Chief Minister O Ibobi and Minister N Loken, they would have put forth their position at the very beginning of the movement.
It was almost after three months when DESAM came to the picture like a robot remote-controlled by the Government, the student bodies asserted.
Taking note of the ugly scenario resulting from DESAM's contradictory stand within the student community, the AMSU, MSF and KSA tried to contact DESAM leaders to talk about the matter but they were found staying in quarters of MLAs/Ministers and residences close to security areas.
Time would come for those few schools and van service operators who are defying the class boycott call.
They further asserted that the Manipur University Inter-College Youth Festival being held at MU just for name's sake with limited number of students from very few colleges is against the collective interest of the student community.