Congress receives elected ADC candidates
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, June 25 2010: Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) today celebrated party's victory in the recently concluded Manipur (Hill areas) District Council election with a felicitation function at Imphal Congress Bhavan.

The felicitation cum victory celebration function was attended by Chief Minister, O Ibobi, MPCC chief Gaikhangam, Cabinet ministers, MLAs and other state Congress leaders, workers and well wishers.

Mention may be made that Congress swept the election by winning in 106 seats out of 144 seats in six ADCs.

The election was held in two phases on May 26 and June 2 last amid the boycotts called by various Naga bodies.

Chief Minister, O Ibobi speaking on the occasion reiterated that his government was determined to conduct the election to the ADCs noting seriously deprivation of democratic rights of the hill district people for more than 20 year.

Chief Minister O Ibobi felicitates a successful candidate of ADC election

With regard to the boycott by some social organisation, he said government had not targeted to any particular organisation or tribe to overcoming all odds in the way of holding the election.

It was long enough suppressing the democratic rights of the hill people.

It is the bounded duty of a government to put its best to deliver equal rights to all section of people, Ibobi said.

He further said that without developing the interior areas of the state, particularly backward hill areas, Manipur cannot be said as developed.

To bring about a balance development in both hills and valley is the objective of the Congress led government in the state.

When only the valley or hill developed, the state cannot be called a developed state.

Considering for all round development in the state and with the determination to ensure grass root level governance,Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government was compelled to go ahead with the district council elections he asserted.

Chief Minister also observed that development in hill areas have been lagging behind for a long time due to non-existence of grass root level body to look after the development works in the region and hoped that once the district councils are constituted, the passage of development in hill areas will be sped up.

Saying that the district council Act has not targeted to a particular tribe or community, the Chief Minister asserted that any section or provision which is considered hurting the interest of the tribal people can be amended.

Government is always ready to amend it.

Government was not hasty in taking decision to conduct the election.

After a thorough discussion at various level and slow pace of development in the hill areas due to absent of local bodies, the decision to go with the election was taken, he clarified.

"The decision was not against any particular organisation or community or tribe.

It just took for the sake of development and democratic rights of the people," Ibobi said.

President of the MPCC, Gaikhangam who also spoke on the occasion said that only a few section of the people who wanted to break the territorial integrity of the state tried to block the ADC elections only to charge the valley people of suppressing rights of hill people.

Despite steep oppositions from this section of the people who wanted to break the integrity of the state, the ADC election was successfully conducted.

Keeping in mind the supports extended by the people, elected candidates must work for the welfare of the people sincerely and cooperate the government in developing the state, he said.

He further said that district councils were in defunct state for the last more than 20 year when the demand for sixth schedule in the state hill areas comes up.

Government had to defer the election to the council for such a long time as there could not bring a consensus on the demand of the sixth scheduled of Indian constitution.

Before the government taken up works for holding election, almost all hill based civil organisations criticized the government alleging that hill people were neglected and when government announced election again opposition surfaced on the way of election.

What is the matter behind it, he asked.

Hill people wanted the election has been clearly showed by the fact that they turn up in large number and exercise their franchised on the polling day despite the steep opposition from some civil organisation.

This also showed that people want ADC functional and make security to their right to exercise franchise for development to bring in their region, Gaikhangam went on to say.

Almost all the Congress candidates, most of whom taking shelter at Khuman Lampak youth Hostel and youth centre for security reasons, took part in the felicitation function held this afternoon at Congress Bhavan, Imphal.

Among them were four women candidates, two from Ukhrul and one each from Tamenglong and Churachandpur.