WAKE UP CALL TO ALL VOTERS OF MANIPUR

This article by Dr Khomdon Lisam was originally posted by E-pao in April 2014

We, the Manipuris tend to celebrate election as a festival without much thinking about the consequences. At the time of election campaign , anybody can go to the candidate and ask for money or chak chanaba or shumang Lila or even for drinking wine or Heroin drugs (No-4) and that too in the name of democracy. The politicians also distribute money through their agents to win the election.

Rampant corruption and bribery starts from the time of election. At the time of election, we tend to forget core issues of Manipur like Corruption, AFSPA-1958, Inner Line Permit, unemployment, electricity , water supply, economic blockade, rape and human rights violations, dharnas, bandhs, strikes, petrol queue, rising price of petrol, LPG and many other core issues. During economic blockade, we have experienced many suffering and hardships - Rice selling at Rs.150-200 a kilogram, a liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG) refill at Rs.2,000, petrol at Rs.200 a litre, and diesel at Rs.150 a litre.

At the time of election, we tend to forget our long suffering and surrender our right to vote to Congress for a paltry sum of Rs. 1000.

Our right to vote has been sold at Rs. 1000 to a particular candidate for five years or Rs. 0.54 per day. The result is that we end up electing contractors, drug traffickers , criminals and former militants as MLAs. Ved Marwah, former governor of Manipur told TIME. "There is no democracy" in Manipur, he said "but rather the trappings of democracy and a combination of tribal society, various insurgent groups and total corruption."

At the time of election, we tend to forget

1. Irom Sharmila Chanu who has been fasting since 2nd November, 2000 demanding for repeal of AFSPA-1958 .
2. 5,665 persons were killed in Manipur because of AFSPA during 1992-2010
3. June 18, 2001 episode during BJP rule where the Manipur State Assembly building and many office buildings were burnt down and 18 people sacrificed their lives for protecting the territorial integrity of Manipur
4. Heirangoithong massacre of 14 March 1984, at the Heirangoithong Volley ball Ground following indiscriminate firing by the CRPF personnel stationed nearby resulting in the death of 110 persons and injuring thirty-one
5. Malom Massacre of 2 November, 2000 - the arbitrary killing of eleven persons including women and one child, who had just received a national Bravery Award from the President of India.
6. The massacre at Tabanglong in western Tamenglong District on 28 December 2000 resulted in the death of eight villagers when they were attacked by soldiers belonging to the 15th Jat Regiment of the Indian army
7. Oinam Massacre (Operation Blue Bird) : July 10, 1987 where Fourteen civilians were shot dead and several others died of hunger, starvation and torture in the concentration camps:
8. RMC - Massacre of 7 January, 1995 - execution of nine civilians by the CRPF in Imphal City within the campus of the Regional Medical College (RMC) now renamed the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS)
9. Pebam Chittaranjan's self immolation on 16 August 2004 for removing AFSPA.
10. Thangjam Manorama was raped and then killed by the Assam Rifles on 11 July 2004
11. Nude protest by 40 women in front of Assam Rifles on 15 July, 2004
12. killing of Chungkham Sanjit and Thokchom Rabina in the open market at broad day light on 23 July, 2009.
13. Fake encounter of Andro on November 1st 2009 where, 7 youths has been gunned down by 28th Assam Rifles troops in suspicion of militants (The Hueiyen New Service- 31st January 2011).
14. Oinam Leikai Massacre on November 21, 1980,
15. Tera Bazar Massacre: March 25, 1993: Five civilians were killed and many others received bullet injuries due to indiscriminate firing by CRPF. However, no enquiry has been instituted to date.
16. Ukhrul Massacres on May 9, 1995,
17. Bashikhong massacre on February 19, 1995,
18. Churachandpur Massacres on July 21, 1999,
19. Nungleiban Massacre on October 15, 1997,
20. Tabokpikhong Massacres on August 12, 1997,
21. Tonsen lamkhai Massacres on September 3, 2000 .

Will the sacrifices of our martyrs go in vain. The Manipur Government has not made a single judicial enquiry report public. That is why people have lost faith in such judicial enquiry . Retired Sessions Judge C. Upendra said that he had headed twelve such enquiries himself, and found in all cases the encounters were fake, though none of his reports was made public.

Every political party except Congress, BJP and CPI is demanding repeal of AFSPA-1958 at this time of election. The national level election manifesto has not mentioned any word on AFSPA . The Congress, BJP and CPI have clearly indicated that they will not do it unless situation improves.

Shall we ask a counter question to elicit response from the people -why should the AFSPA be removed from Manipur (1) Why should we vote for Congress, BJP and CPI if they are determined not to remove AFSPA from Manipur . (2) why should we continue worshipping our Ministers and MLAs who are against the removal of AFSPA. (3) why should we consider it a status symbol to invite high ranking Military and police officers to our functions (4) when we are encouraging, welcoming and celebrating defection of opposition parties to the ruling party. Is it not a shameless action to jump from one political party to another ? They should apologise to the people who voted for them. (5) why don't we have the courage to boycott the Ministers and MLAs who are living under the shadow of ASPA. (6) why should we accept small gifts from Assam Rifles and Indian Army in the form of solar lamps or Water filters, generators etc. (7) why can't we be united and create a people's mass movement against AFSPA .

I heard Law and Order is in the State list but AFSPA is in the concurrent list –that means it can be revoked either by the State Government or by the Central Government. That is why our Chief Minister has revoked AFSPA from seven constituencies of Imphal. The Union Home Ministry, the defence Ministry are strongly against removal of AFSPA from Manipur. Therefore Our Hon'ble Chief Minister may be thinking that AFSPA can be removed only by the Central Government. The Hon'ble Chief Minister may ask the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister why AFSPA is not imposed on Maoist affected states like West Bengal, Bihar , Orissa, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkand, Chattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Uttaranchal, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra.

The Indian government has declared that "out of 630 districts in India, 220 districts are Maoist affected areas. The Naxalite Maoist insurgency gained media attention internationally after the 2013 Naxal attack in Darbha valley, which resulted in the deaths of around 24 Indian National Congress leaders, including the former state minister Mahendra Karma and the Chhattisgarh Congress Chief Nand Kumar Patel. This completely shook the political system of India. On October 31, the New York Times wrote, "India's Maoist rebels are now present in 20 states and have evolved into a potent insurgency. In the last four years, the Maoists have killed more than 900 Indian security officers…violence erupts almost daily."

The Ministry of Home Affairs has deployed around 110,000 military and para-military troops to eliminate the Maoist . The Ministry of Home Affairs say that the amount extorted by Maoists is around Rs.1400 Crore annually. Jharkhand has emerged as the largest supplier to the Naxal kitty by contributing around Rs.300 crores per year. : The Indian Prime Minister said " India is losing the battle against Maoist rebels…violence is increasing" and "Maoists have growing appeal among a large section of Indian society including tribal communities, the rural poor and the intelligentsia."

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh recently described the Maoist movement as "the biggest internal security threat" confronting India. On Feb 2, 2010, Mr. Chidambaram, the then Union Home Minister said the situation in Maoist-affected states continues to be "a cause of grave concern". Our Hon'ble Chief Minister may ask to the national political leaders " If that is so, why not the Government of India , imposed AFSPA in all the Maoist -affected states. Why this racial discrimination even in the case of AFSPA. Do the Government of India think that the people of North East are expandable.

If that is so , then why not our respected Chief Minister sit in the Dharna demanding from the central government with 10,000 followers :

1. lifting of AFSPA from all districts of Manipur,
2. Inner Line Permit System,
3. Special drive for employment for Manipuris,
4. establishment of an Upper House State Legislative Council) with a minimum of 40 members with provision for 10 nominated members,
5. increase of Lok Sabha Constituencies from 2 to 6 ( Anglo Indian Community with a population of two lakhs was given two seats) ,
6. increase of Rajya Sabha seats from 1 to 7 reflecting equal representation of states as done in USA and other countries,
7. amendment of Article 371C of Indian Constitution,
8. protection of boundaries of Manipur etc.

Arvind Kejriwal, Chief Minister of Delhi was the only Chief Minister in India who sat in dharna during the last 64 years demanding justice from the Central Government. The example of Arvind Kejriwal has been followed by other Chief Ministers. The Indian Constitution which our politicians consider as Gita or Bible or Quran can be amended to look after the interest of Manipuris. We have never exercised this right for the last 64 years because of lack of political maturity and clear cut vision of our political masters.

We all like to vote for the best man, but he is never a candidate. Good people never come forward as a candidate for election because they do not want to bribe the voters and they do not have enough money to fight election.. Many good people never vote because they do not like any of the candidates.

We, the people are very forgetful. As the election is coming , it is time for us to reflect and remind ourselves about the true colour of political parties.

Regarding Indian National Congress (INC), the following facts may be considered

1. The Indian National Congress (INC) believed in dynastic rule. Jawaharlal Nehru, Indira Gandhi, Rajiv Gandhi came from the same family. Now Sonia Gandhi is desperate to make her son Rahul Gandhi the Prime Minister of India . Our innocent Prime Minister of India , Honble Shri Manamohon is ever ready to step down any moment for the sake of Rahul Gandhi. Can any of the members of the INC in India contradict this statement ? The example of the INC is followed by many leaders of smaller political parties in India. This tradition has already reached Manipur. Can anyone contradict this statement ?

2. Do the Indian National Congress Party (INC) believed in democracy. Sonia Gandhi is the President of INC . She appointed Pratibha Patil as the President of India ( 25 July, 2007- 25 July, 2012 , Mr. Pranab Mukherjee as the President of India ( 25 July- ) , Manamohon as the Prime Minister of India (22 May, 200$ till date), Meira Kumar as the Lok Sabha Speaker (3 June, 2009 – till date) Sheila Dikshit (11 March, 2014) as the Governor of Kerala after her defeat in the Delhi Assembly election at the hands of Arvind Kejriwal, Rishang Keishing as the Rajya Sabha MP for the second time (August, 2009) and many Chief Ministers and Ambassadors. Prime Minister, Manamohon is now ready to resign any day in favour of Rahul Gandhi. Is it democracy or Kleptocracy – a Government by those who seek power, status and personal gain at the expense of the governed.

In India, Democracy is not " the government of the people, by the people and for the people ". It is rather the government of the rich people , by the rich people and for the rich people. The common people has no role to play in decision making in India. Even the Chief Ministers are not allowed to take certain decisions pertaining to his own state. While I was in U.K in 1992, I proudly said to my colleague from London, " India is the largest democracy in the world ". He immediately replied " India is one country where first class people are ruled by third class politicians . Now I start realising the meaning of it.

3. Corruption and bribery is the culture of the Congress party. Rahul Gandhi is going to spend Rs. 500 Crores for payment to Genesis Burson-Marsteller and Japanese advertising firm Dentsu, for advertisement of his candidature in the forthcoming Lok Sabha election. But surprisingly , nobody ask the question where the money is coming from.

4. Indian National Congress indulged in the following scandals (1) The Bofors scam was a major corruption scandal in India in the 1980s; when the then PM Rajiv Gandhi and several others including a powerful NRI family named the Hindujas, were accused of receiving kickbacks of $ 1. 3 billion from Bofors AB for winning a bid to supply India's 155 mm field howitzer. (2) 2G Spectrum Scam- involving former Telecom minister A. Raja with Rs.1.76-lakh crore worth for awarding 2G license awards in 2008 at a throw-away price which were pegged at 2001 prices. (3) Coalgate Scandal -2012 resulting in an estimated loss of Rs. 186,000 crores. (4) 2010- Commonwealth Games Scam- involving Rs. 7000 crores. There are many more scandals in which Indian National Congress is involved which I do not want to mention further.

5. Many of the political parties are communal. The INC was responsible for slaughtering more than 8000 Sikhs in 1984 , of which 3000 are from Delhi.

Corruption poses a serious threat to democracy, development and economy of a country. Corruption in elections undermines democracy, reduces accountability and distorts representation in policymaking .

Regarding the Manipur State Congress, the following facts may be considered

1. Manipur State Congress Party was responsible for the controversial merger of Manipur with India on 15 October, 1949. On 3rd July, 1949, (Sunday) the Manipur State Congress led by Jneshwar , General Secretary of the Manipur State Congress , Salam Tombi and Loitam Yaima and their followers organized a meeting at Thoubal and advocated for abolition of kingship and merging Manipur with India. Later on , the Manipur State Congress Party was able to get recognition from the All India Congress Committee and finally , it became a political unit of the All India Congress Committee.

In the mean time, the Government of India instructed the Government of Assam to complete the negotiation for merger of Manipur into India by 20th September, 1948. The Manipur State Congress Party mentioned that the Government of Manipur was not able to maintain law and order situation of the country , there was an apprehension of taking over the country by the Communist revolution in Burma , the integration of Manipur with India would have peace and development.

The Government of India and the Indian National Congress got an opportunity to interfere in the internal affairs of Manipur with blessings and support from the Manipur State Congress. After merger, the Manipur State Congress Party took out a procession with band party to celebrate the occasion. They expressed their happiness by throwing up their congress caps into the sky in the Pologround. The members of Manipur State Congress were busy in trying to get a foot hole in the new Government . This is history, you can not contradict.

2. Manipur State Congress Party signed the agreement for Naga integration on 4 August, 1972. Later, our respected Shri Rishang Keising, Rajya Sabha Member from Manipur and Shri Gaikhangam, Home Minister were the first to sign the Naga integration memorandum entitled "Memorandum of Naga Members of Parliament and Members of Legislative Assembly from Manipur for strengthening the ongoing peace negotiation between the Government of India and the NSCN-IM" to the Prime Minister on 27 May, 2005 as published in the North East Sun, dated 15th July, 2005. (Pradeep Phanjoubam and Deepak Dewan) " In other words, the demand for Nagalim , Alternative Arrangement of NSCN-IM is with the blessings of, our respected Shri Rishang Keising and Shri Gaikhangam. The demands of NSCN-IM is the making of Manipur State Congress party. Can any member of the Congress party contradict this statement ?

3. In Manipur , the Ministers and MLAs become contractors. The genuine contractors have disappeared. We can count, how many MLAs and Ministers are having JCV machines. The rules and procedures of contract work are often not followed. Anybody on the street can quote the price tag for the post of a SI, ASI , Constable in the police department or for the post of a Clerk or Nurse in the Government Department or RIMS. It is said that the market price of one SI is Rs. 15-25 lakhs , for one ASI, it is 7-10 lakhs and for one Constable, a clerk 5-7 lakhs or a Nurse, it is 13-15 lakhs depending on the political connection. Almost every Government servant has to pay bribe for posting in the valley. Corruption in Manipur has become something respectable because so many respectable people are involved in it. The common people have to sell their paddy field or homestead to bribe the ministers for getting a job. The educated youths are terribly frustrated to see the level of corruption in Manipur.

4.We heard that some of the Congress candidates distributed Rs. 1000 note to each and very voter in the last Assembly election- 2012 making themselves very cheap. I strongly suspect that use of EVM machine without paper trail, distribution of Rs. 1000 note and use of police personnel in election campaigns were mainly responsible for wining 42 seats in the last Assembly election in 2012. People have seen that the ruling party use the police force openly for campaigning and winning election. No political party can compete with the Manipur Congress in terms of money and muscle power. That is why our Hon'ble Chief Minister Shri O.Ibobi Singh and Deputy Chief Minister, Shri Gaikhangam are proudly declaring that the Congress party is wining this coming election. When money speaks , the truth is silent.

4. On January 6, 2012, our Hon'ble Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh handed over the ceremonial keys of the Rs 224 crore-Loktak Lake clean-up project to representatives of one new company namely K Pro Infra Works Private Ltd, existing only on paper, located at the ground, Flat No A-104, Plot No 29 (New Friends Apartment), Sector 6, Dwarka , New Delhi. The said company belonged to his son and the tender for award of Rs. 224 crores was done in violation of the Central Public Works Department norms, which requires at least three bidders for such tenders ( Tehelka Report),

5. On 4 January, 2012, a sum of Rs. 60 lakhs was seized at Delhi airport from a passenger coming from Imphal airport. However, the identity of the person who was carrying the money and to whom the money was to be paid had not been disclosed. The silence of the Chief Minister is deafening .

6. On 11 January, 2013, a team of Imphal West police had seized pseudoephedrine hydrochloride worth Rs 1.4 crore from Tulihal airport. But the real owner of the drug is not disclosed. That means, somebody with highest political powers who can afford Rs. 1.4 crore might be involved.

7. On 24, February, 2013, Defence PRO Ajay Chowdhury and aides were picked up by Thoubal commandos from Pallel carrying drugs worth Rs 25 crore to the Indo-Myanmar border town of Moreh. But the real owner of the drug is not disclosed. That means, somebody with highest political powers who can afford Rs. 25 crore might be involved. Only small fry are caught, we can't we catch the big fish . There are many other instances of corruption and drug seizure in Manipur. But I do not want to go further. 

Regarding the BJP , the following facts may be examined

1. In September 1990, BJP leader L. K. Advani began a "rath yatra" to Ayodhya, UP in support of the Ram Mandir movement. The yatra sparked off communal riots in several cities, leading to Advani's arrest by the government of Bihar. Despite this, a large body of 'kar sevaks' (volunteers) or Sangh Parivar activists reached Ayodhya, On December 6, 1992, a large crowd of Hindu Karsevaks entirely destroyed the 16th-century Babri mosque in Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh in an attempt to reclaim the land known as Ram Janmabhoomi. The demolition occurred after a rally supporting the movement turned violent and resulted in several months of inter-communal rioting between India's Hindu and Muslim communities, causing the killing of at least 2,000 people. Is this not communal on the part of BJP to indulge in such activities? Is it not communal ?

2. In the Gujarat Riot in 2002 , 790 Muslims , 254 Hindus were killed and 2500 people injured. There were instances of rape, looting and destruction of properties. On 27 February, 2002, the Sabarmati Express train returning from Ayodhya was stopped near Godhra railway station and burnt including 59 people . Is it not communal riot ?

3. It is reported that 387 farmers committed suicide during 2005-2009 in Gujarat due to debt and crop failure. During 2012 alone, 564 farmers committed suicide in Gujarat , Is this Gujarat model?

4. It is reported that more than 60,000 small scale industries have been closed down in Gujarat in the last ten years. Is it the Gujarat model Narendra Modi was talking about . Is it Gujarat model.

5. It is reported that people have to give bribe for getting BPL cards and jobs in Gujarat. The corruption is rampant in Gujarat as anywhere else . The condition of Government schools is very bad.

6.The BJP Manifesto says that corruption is a manifestation of poor governance. But why the BJP and Congress parties in Delhi vehemently blocked the passing of Anti-corruption Bill -Jan Lokpal Bill by saying that the Jan Lokpal Bill was unconstitutional. Is fighting for corruption unconstitutional .

7. If BJP believes in secularism, why should the BJP manifesto give emphasis to the construction of Rama temple in Ayodhya ?

8. If fighting for corruption is the main agenda of BJP, why should Yeddyurappa , the chief Minister of BJP ruled state of Karnataka go to jail on corruption charges in Mining scam.

9. If BJP produce a Prime Ministerial candidate for the entire nation, why should he select Vanarashi which is the spiritual capital of India as his safe constituency .

10.The Vajpayee administration was accused for not taking timely action to prevent the Kargil war (03 March, 1999 –26 July, 1999 ) despite being in the know of Pakistan's game plan at least a year in advance. The Kargil war was responsible for death of 524 Indian soldiers and loss of two aircrafts and one helicopter.

11. The Vajpayee Government was indicted by the Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) for emergency purchase of about 500 caskets (coffins) at a highly inflated rate of US $ 2500 per casket, which is 13 times higher than the actual price.

12.In 2001, the Tehelka sting operation caught the BJP president, Bangaru Laxman, accepting Rs100,000 in cash from journalists pretending to be defence dealers. The grainy spy-cam video clip of Laxman putting the cash in a drawer became a symbol of political corruption. No action was taken against Laxman till the UPA came to power in 2004

13. The Comptroller and Auditor General of India has strongly indicted the BJP government for procuring anti aircrafts missiles and explosive release cartridge in the name of Operation Vijay when both the contracts were "unnecessary".

14. BJP is silent on AFSPA and Inner Line Permit system just like Congress party.

15. Frankly speaking , people do not believe in what the respected president of BJP, Manipur says. He is a tested man. He was the Union State Minister and also cabinet minster in Manipur holding the portfolio of many departments. He himself was well known to the people for his corrupt practices . He keep on jumping from one party to another for his own benefit. How can people rely on him and his party.

Considering the above mentioned facts, it is very doubtful whether the Congress Party or BJP will be able to check corruption, remove of AFSPA- 1958 from Manipur and bring about amendment of Indian constitution incorporating Inner Line permit system, protecting territorial integrity of Manipur. The BJP believed in the traditional way of winning election through money and muscle power. Similarly , the BJP will not be able to bring about any changes in the present system. We have nothing to expect from BJP in Manipur.

Who will bring about changes in the system ?

In order to bring about the changes, the role of Lok Sabha MPs is very important. But we have only two Lok Sabha against 543 MPs. Electing independent candidate may not be useful. If the political party to which our MP belong comes to power , it will be very good. If not he /she has to sit in the opposition. A good opposition MP is also very good. Our MPs need to make friends with both ruling and opposition MPs and discuss Manipur's core issues and the need for their support. Our Manipur MPs failed miserably in this direction. They work individually and there is disunity among the two MPs. In order to be a successful MP, one needs to study a lot regarding all aspects of Indian Constitution and the core issues of Manipur. NO YAIPHA PAOJEL IS REQUIRED. We have some very good candidates this time but people do not want the party or people want the party but they do not put up good candidates. There is a strong need of the MP for working together with the Chief Minister.

To start with, the following suggestions may be put forward

1. Root out corruption at all levels. First of all , we need a clear–cut Government policy on rooting out corruption. The Hon'ble Chief Minister may kindly declare a policy statement that the State Government of Manipur is determined to root out corruption at all levels. Every election will be "free and fair" and "corruption-free". The declaration may be made before the Lok Sabha election.We have laws like Jan Lokpal , Lokayukta etc. But laws alone may not be able to prevent and root out corruption. People have to participate in the process. We need to sensitise and mobilise people against corruption. Now the AAM AADMI PARTY is establishing Anti-Corruption Cell at the state level and Anti-Corruption Squad in every Polling Booth. It has already opened one HOTLINE inviting people to report corruption cases. The intension is to help the Government in rigorous implementation of anti corruption laws and work as a watch dog for all departments. It has a plan to recruit 120,000 members and volunteers.

The Hon'ble Chief Minister may kindly consider establishing a "Staff Selection Commission" for recruitment of staff Grade- III and Grade-IV on the lines of MPSC. But we should not allow politicians and corrupted senior officers to be associated with the commission. Further the Hon'ble Chief Minister may kindly consider establishing a " Police Recruitment Board " for selection of Constables, ASI, SI . Let us give hope to the young people of Manipur. This step alone will root out corruption at the time of recruitment. We need some political parties who will work with all honesty, sincerity , commitment, dedication and sacrifice . AAM AADMI PARTY may be an alternative .

2. Provide 24 hour electricity to people of Imphal City and other towns in Manipur through privatization or public-private partnership. This can be done easily if the Government is committed.

3, Provide piped drinking water for all. Manipur is one of the region where there is heavy rainfall. The Public Health Engineering Department PHED) may be asked to reimburse the money the people have spent for purchasing water if they are not able to provide drinking water. It is around Rs. 1000 per month. Only then, they will start opening their eyes. What is the purpose of existence of PHED with one Chief Engineer and so many engineers and staff if they can not provide quality drinking water in the heart of Imphal city for the last 64 years.

4. Amendment of Article 371C of Indian Constitution to protect the 2000 year old territorial integrity of Manipur, to protect the rights, land, language , culture, traditions, mineral resources of the state (1) the whole state of Manipur should be treated as a Hill State (2) The Article 3 of Indian Constitution regarding alteration of state boundaries shall not be applicable in case of Manipur (3) Establishment of an Upper House State Legislative Council) with a minimum of 40 members with provision for 10 nominated members. (4) Re-introduction of Inner Line Permit System in Manipur (5) The Number of Rajya Sabha MPs should be increased to seven on the basis of equal representation of states as done in USA and other countries. This is one area where the National political leaders befooled the people from small states . We should raise our voice to bring about changes (6) The number of Lok Sabha seats may be increased to 5 to make it viable.

Even for the Anglo-Indian Community of only 200,000 population, Jawaharlal Nehru had given two Lok Sabha seats. To me, the Indian Constitution is extremely discriminatory, encouraging disunity, communal disharmony in Manipur. We should remember what B.R. Ambedkar said in the Rajya Sabha on 2nd September, 1953 - , "my friends tell me that I have made the Constitution. But I am quite prepared to say that I shall be the first person to burn it out. I do not want it. It does not suit anybody....". During the last 64 years, we, the Manipuris had never ask for amendment of Indian Constitution. We should assert our rights this time. I am afraid many young people of Manipur may follow B.R Ambedkar's example if the Hon'ble Chief Minister continue to ignore the demands of the people.

5. Open one Sports University at Imphal as done in other states. If Manipur is the power house of sports, Manipur should get one Sports university.

6. Open one University for culture at Imphal : The culture of India is not complete without the culture of Manipur. Manipur is well known as Culture Capital of India to foreign countries . Manipur should get one University for culture with entire funding from Government of India.

There are many more core issues which I would like to bring to the kind notice of the Ho'ble Chief Minister and honourable MPs at a later date. For achieving this goal , we need a strong people's mass movement which will give impetus to the efforts of MP or CM.