Moirang by-election: MPP candidate alleges Cdo harassments
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, December 18 2008: Alleging that police commandos had been harrashing political workers of the Manipur People's Party (MPP), the regional party's candidate for the Moirang assembly constituency by-election Hemam Birsingh casts aspersion on whether the uniform personnel have been deliberately targeting the political workers with an ulterior motive.

While doubting the ruling front of mis-utilising State machinery with an intention of undermining the democratic exercise during an Interaction with media-persons at his Moirang residence today, the 73-year old Birsingh also expressed confidence that with a splinter group of the Congress party extending support to him his aspiration of serving the people of Manipur in general and Moirang public in particular would materialise.

Hemam Birsingh

birsingh, who had contested the general elections from the same constituency three times in his lengthy political career finishing a close second each time, also expressed strong concern that misusing the State's law enforcing agency seems to have been schemed by the ruling coalition to tamper outcome of the election result even without the actual mandate of the electorates.

Involvement of security personnel that too with the intention of hindering poll-related activities by workers of a particular contestant seriously undermines the democratic ethics of free and fair polling, he maintained.

Recounting certain events to substantiate alleged disturbances caused to movement of the candidate's political worker by the police commandos, Birsingh, who came out of self-imposed political isolation to contest the by-poll, alleged that at around 7.30 pm yesterday police commandos ignored him and detained his workers and sympathisers at Ward No 10 Moirang Leikai.

Elaborating further, he said the commando team who arrived in a bullet-proof mini Tata (407) bearing registration No MN01/5364 separated male political workers from the women campaigners, ordered them (males) to take off their shirts and pounded with irrelevant questions thereby amounting to disturbing campaign activities.

Claiming that inspite of identifying himself as the MPP candidate in the fray for the by-poll the commandos disregarded him and detained the political workers along with the vehicles, Birsingh also noted that at the very moment the securitymen let-off vehicles adorned with Congress party flags without any checking.

Piling on the accusations, he claimed that police personnel also prohibit election meetings of the MPP candidate citing time restriction on campaigning hours in addition to replacing flag poles of the MPP with that of the Congress.

Birsingh, who is contesting the by-poll against the Congress nominee M Prithviraj, also expressed strong resentment that his sympathisers are being singled out by unidentified gunmen who distribute bullets to the MPP political workers threatening them of dire consequences in case they are found working for the MPP candidate.

Doubting involvement of law enforcing agencies in such ploys of creating fear psychosis, he also recounted instances about a week ago of police commandos wrapped in shawls threatening MPP workers to distance themselves from election-related activities.

Even though such incidents had been reported at the police stationed concerned no concrete action is being initiated till date, the candidate added.

reacting to report of the Chief Minister allegedly hosting feast for Kwakta area political workers of the Congress nominee at his official residence recently, he cautioned that free and fair franchise in the Moirang by-poll would be impossible as the Congress-led SPF Government has been randomly resorting to tactics that do not conform to prescribtion of the Election Commission of India.

Strongly advocating that Moirang electorates be extended the the right opportunity of chosing their representative rather than attempting to corrupt the democratic exercise, he highlighted that MPP's sole purpose of contesting the poll is to safe Moirang.

Moreover, MPP is te only political in the State that could bring positive changes in the Manipuri society, he affirmed.

Taking a dig at the rival candidate, Birsingh pointed out that responsibility of a historically important place like the Moirang cannot be loaded upon the shoulder of a politically naive and untested individual.

Confiding that a major group that disassociated from the Congress party had intimated to support him in the by-poll, he also predicting of winning the mandate by a substantial number.

An active student activist during his formative academic career, Hemam Birsingh passed matriculation examination in 1955 and completed higher education at the DM college and St.

Edmunds College, Shillong.

On completion of Intermediate Arts (IA) in 1958 he was employed in the erstwhile manipur Territorial Council and after retirement devoted his time and energy in social activities.

Highlighting contributions of his father (late) H Nilamani to propel Moirang towards socio-economic development in the capacity as a social activist, freedom fighter, political leader and MLA in addition to being the founder president of the MPP, Birsingh pledged to carry forth incomplete tasks of his father.

Among others, he pledged to commit himself for the betterment of Moirang roads, ensure adequate power supply, improve the education system, functional health care facilities and hygienic drinking water.