Bira wants free and fair polls
MPP candidate accuses police of harassing his workers
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, December 18 2008: THE MANIPUR People's Party (MPP) candidate in the by-election of Moirang assembly constituency, Hemam Bira has alleged that the state security forces have started intimidating, detaining and harassing his campaign workers and expressed desire for holding the election in a free and fair manner. Talking to media persons at his house at Moirang this afternoon, the MPP candidate said that a team of Manipur police commandos who came in one bullet proof vehicle 407 (MN-01 5364) and another Gypsy stopped his workers who went for campagning at Moirang Koirou Leikai Ward No 10 last night around 8 O'clock.

The police commandos forced his worker drivers to remove their clothes and harassed them, Bira alleged.

MPP candidate H Bira (in white) talking to media persons; workers display placards protesting police action on MPP workers

Members of MPP Moirang AC, Women's Wing told the media-persons that when they asked the police commandos why they were detaining the youths and harassing them, the police commandos told them, "Mothers, please keep quiet." Then they argued with the commandos by saying that they were not detaining and checking the vehicles of Congress and detaining and checking only the vehicles of MPP.

H Bira said, it was quite unfortunate for the people of Manipur that Chief Minister O Ibobi was openly using the security personnel as his hired goons in connection with the by-election.

He has filed a complaint to the Moirang police station but the Officer in Charge refused to accept the complaint saying that the incident was not related with his Police Station. Bira also alleged that commandos in civil dress were intimidating the MPP workers in different parts of Moirang AC.

The team of Moirang Police Station led by the OC also often removed flags of MPP in the name of protecting election model code of conduct while leaving the Congress flags, he said. The MPP candidate further alleged that the police in civvies even entered the homes of MPP workers and threatened them that "Congress is ruling, unless you stop working for MPP, you'll be sorry." Besides there have been instances where live bullets were also left.

Moreover, some Congress MLAs and Ministers were moving around polling station-wise and distributing money to the electorates, Hemam Bira alleged adding that one Councillor had also been purchased at Rs 1 lakh. Expressing that the by-election of Moirang AC should be held in a free and fair election, Bira said that all concerned should endeavour to elect a popular people's representative. He said, even though Congress tries to win the election by intimidating his supporters and workers, he would never run away from the fight.

The by-election is not only of Moirang AC but also of the whole of Manipur.

This is a step for MPP to save Manipur.

He became a candidate only to take part in saving Manipur, Bira said. He recounted that his late father Hemam Nillamani had dedicated his life to Manipur and had taken significant roles in the MPP for the sake of the people of Manipur.

There are thousands of MPP workers in Moirang AC.

Many other people, who got fed up with the administration of the Congress led government, have supported him.

It was time Congress was taught a lesson to right the wrongs done by it, Bira said. He pointed out that drinking water was not available so far at Moirang, the origin of Manipur's history.

All the roads have been reduced to dust, all offices have been degraded and all the school buildings were broken and dilapidated.

Even though his father has passed away, he was firm on improving all these.

He came second in two elections.

It was the third election that he was contesting in.

He had not contested for a few terms.

But this time, as the adage goes "the third time for forefathers," he felt sure that Ibudhou Thangjing would favour him, Bira said. If the election was held free and fair without fear, he would win the election by getting 6,000 votes more than the Congress candidate, he expressed confidence. Hemam Bira was born on October 22, 1936 at the present INA headquaters at Moirang in a political family.