Imphal, December 07 2008: Cautioning the voters of Moirang AC not to be swayed by sympathy, MPP legislature wing leader O Joy called upon all concerned to realise that sympathy vote is not the answer for the welfare of the people and urged them to vote for the man who they think is best suited to work for their welfare.

The by election to Moirang AC is scheduled on December 27 following the demise of then sitting Congress MLA Mairenbam Manindra.

O Joy made this observation during the photo exhibition held at Kwakta bazar in Moirang AC in memory of the first Chief Minister of Manipur Md Allimuddin and founder member of the MPP as well as freedom fighter Hemam Nillamani.

Taking pot shots at the Congress, while addressing the gathering, O Joy said that the Congress was a party which had to nominate film stars as their candidates as no serious politician wanted to contest under its ticket for the MP election.

Since election is not about film shooting, the Congress can only assert themselves through the microphone, said the fiery MPP MLA and added that people should not elect anyone just on sympathy for the Moirang by election.

Sympathy cannot assure governance, said Joy, obviously referring to the decision of the Congress to field the son of the late Manindra.

The people should not forget that elections are held to elect the best man for the job and not on the basis of any sympathy wave, he added.

Stating that the scheduled by election is going to be a virtual show down between the MPP and the Congress, O Joy recalled that when the then Government led by the MPP under Md Allimuddin tried to pay tributes to martyrs Bir Tikendrajit and General Thangal, the then Congress Government at Delhi had sent a telegram banning any such move.

The telegram however was consigned to the dust bin, he said and added the planned tributes were paid fully.

Stating that the State Congress is nothing but a stooge of the AICC, O Joy said that though the State Congress unit had recommended that former Speaker Maniruddin be nominated to the Rajya Sabha, it was turned down and instead Rishang Keishing made his way to the Rajya Sabha.

The people need to seriously study and compare the ideology of the Congress and the MPP, he exhorted.

While an MP from Manipur has been shouting hoarse in Parliament to break up Manipur, the other MP, Congress man Dr T Meinya has been sleeping his way through his term, accused the MPP MLA.

After the Parliamentary election, the Congress will be sent packing, claimed O Joy and added that after this a new Government with the MPP as a partner will emerge in Manipur.

Former Union Minister Th Chaoba said that it would be politically unwise to elect a raw, inexperienced youth in the by election.

Accusing the Congress led Government of failing on all fronts, Chaoba said even after this year's harvest a Kg of rice costs Rs 20 .

MLA I Ibohalbi said that if Manipur is to emerge from the present suffering all around, there should be no die-in-harness schemes in politics.

MLA Ng Bijoy recalled the contributions of the late Md Allimuddin and Hemam Nillamani.

MPP president Dr Chandramani and MPP candidate Hemam Bir Singh also addressed the gathering.

Comment