'Manipur needs secular Governor'
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, August 22 2021:
CPI-M Manipur State Council said the state needs educated, secular and people-centric personality as Governor after the retirement of Dr Najma Heptulla, who is a highly educated and non-sectarian.
In a statement, CPI-M state secretary Kshetrimayum Shanta said it is aware that the 17th Governor of the state will be sworn in shortly to serve the state as an "agent of the Union Home Ministry" in the interest of the ruling party.
The party feels that before selecting a person to serve a state as a Governor, the Centre should consult the state government.
However, under the BJP led NDA rule, no state government is consulted with and the Centre generally imposes its will on the states.
As per media reports, the person who may be sworn in as the new Governor of Manipur is a controversial figure, the CPI claimed and recounted the erstwhile president of Tamil Nadu BJP (2000-03) SP Kirubanidhi (a professional doctor) as saying in an interview to "Tamila Tamila" magazine in April 2003 that after a BJP National Council Meeting at Indore in 2003 he was waiting for his car.
At that point one Thiru Ila Ganesan, a fellow National Council Member of BJP started abusing him verbally calling his caste name.
Even though he tried to pacify him, an agitated Ganesan twisted his arm.
The fight was over the misuse of the funds of BJP Tamil Nadu unit by Ganesan.
During the interview SP Kirubanidhi said that he found many irregularities in handling of party funds by Ganesan.
When he countered him, Ganesan got angry, and then attacked him.
When asked by the interviewer whether the discrimination was on the basis of his caste SP Kirubanidhi, who is a Dalit, told the interviewer that the discrimination was on the basis of his caste.
After the episode, S P Kirubanidhi joined the DMK, the CPI-M statement said.
Ila Ganesan was a Pracharak of RSS, his educational qualification as reported is only SSLC and he was an MP (RS) from Madhya Pradesh as a replacement of Dr Najma Heptulla, after the latter was appointed at the governor of Manipur.
CPI-M feels that in the present scenario of the state, with assembly election just round the corner, the state needs a clean, educated secular and people centric person as Governor, the statement reiterated.