Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, April 13 2009:
Chief Minister O Ibobi today preached for free voting and the need to filter the communal based parties from voting while addressing election meeting in Tamenglong district organised by the Nungba Block Congress Committee.
"Let the people vote freely without any fear and disturbance.
Infringing the voting rights of individuals at gunpoint will never ever bring a solution," Chief Minister O Ibobi said today while addressing an election rally at the Nungba Ground in Tamenglong district.
Chief Minister Ibobi said that taking chance of the prevailing situation various parties with communal agendas have emerged in the scene.
He said that they must not be voted as they have the intensity to break up all the communities living together in peace.
The people must vote candidate of their choice, Ibobi said.
The Chief Minister also insists the people not to believe what the communal-based political parties have said while adding that their agendas are threatening to disintegrate the state.
Ibobi further said that it is very unfortunate that the voters are threatened by gunpoint.
He said that adequate measures have been taken up to confront the occurrence of unwanted incidents in the forthcoming election.
The Congress will neither use force to vote in their favour nor will give chance to communal schemes in the party, Ibobi said.
Noting that Congress workers have been bullied in the valley, Ibobi wonders what the faults of the Congress workers are to be intimidated with severe threats.
Displaying a tough pose Ibobi said that they (intimidators) will never achieve their goals.
Persuading the Tamenglong electorates to desist from voting in favour of communal-based parties, Ibobi said that Congress is a party sans communal divides while saying that the Tamenlong district, which was considered the most backward district, has been given priority in developing infrastructures within the district.
He said that more development works will be taken up in the district and as such it will not be wise to vote the BJP, a party which thinks that only the Hindus will inhabit the land, while also appealing the electorates to vote in favour of the Congress candidate.
Speaking on the occasion, MPCC President Gaikhangam said that the label that Tamenglong district as the most backward district is now a thing of the past.
He appealed the voters to come out and vote for the Congress candidate and despise the notion that the Parliamentary election as the Delhi's election.
The State Congress supremo also said that the SPF Government has been striving to bring in equal development of the hills and the plain.
He said no other parties will be able to bring in peaceful coexistence of all communities of the state.
'Let us do away with communal divides.
We are one and the same brothers.
Let us walk together,' Gaikhangam sermonised.
He further reasoned that the Tamenglong people have every reason to vote in favour of the Congress candidate.
Congress's candidate in the outer constituency, Thangso Baite, Power Minister T Phungzathang, PHED Minister TN Haokip, Works Minister K Ranjit, and RD Minister Alauddin Khan have also spoke during the meeting today.