Correspondent
IMPHAL, January 16
Members of Thoubal District MP Candidature Demand Committee and People's Plea for Representation in Parliament (PPRP) have urged the Congress led ministry to choose the State's Rajya Sabha member from among the people of eight assembly constituencies who have no right to contest but has the right to vote in the Lok Sabha Elections.Convenor of PPRP M Sushilkumar said the eight assembly constituencies are Heirok, Wangjing, Khangabok, Wabagai, Kakching, Hiyanglam, Sugunu and Jiribam comes under Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituency, a ST reserved seat for Lok Sabha Constituency.
Meanwhile, the Pangal Political Forum Manipur (PPFM) in association with All Manipur Muslim Girls Students’ Union, Manipur Muslim Unemployed Youth organisations, All Manipur Muslim Women's Development Organisation and North East minorities Students’ Federation Manipur unit have demanded nomination of a Pangal MP in the Rajya Sabha this time.
The sentiment of nominating a Pangal representative in the Rajya Sabha was shared by PPFM spokesperson MI Khan, a former leader of the armed group People's United Liberation Front, during a press conference in Imphal today.
MI Khan said they’re appealing to the all communities in the state particularly the Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh led ministry to nominate a Pangal representative as Rajya Sabha member this time to show that there is equal representation.
Considering the Pangals (Meitei Muslims) role in building up the integrity of the state, he said the MLAs in the ruling front should nominate a Meitei Muslim candidate as the existing veteran politician Rishang Keishing’s term as a Rajya Sabha member will come to an end on April 9 next. The support of 32 MLAs is required to elect or nominate a Rajya Sabha member from the Manipur which has a assembly of 60 members. The election of the Rajya Sabha member is scheduled to be held on April 7.
If a Pangal representative was not nominated for the lone Rajya Sabha seat in parliament, the 80,000 pangal voters in the state may take up steps to boycott the Congress led ruling government in Manipur, the PPFM spokesman threatened. Pangals had been settling in Manipur since 530 years ago, he claimed.
On the other hand PPFM also welcomed the appeal made by the voters of eight assembly constituencies in the Manipur’s Imphal East and Thoubal districts which are not entitled to contest the in Lok Sabha polls but to cast the votes, for the nomination of one of their resident as a Rajya Sabha member from Manipur.
“But he or she should be a Pangal,” MI Khan added. Key functionaries of All Manipur Muslim Girls Students’ Union, Manipur Muslim Unemployed Youth Organisations, All Manipur Muslim Women's Development Organisation and North East Minorities Students’ Federation Manipur unit also attended the day’s press conference in Imphal today.
