IMPHAL, May 10: Many Congress insiders are reportedly unhappy that two of the prominent ministers of the party were unable to ensure candidates from their Assembly Constituencies file nominations to the forthcoming Autonomous District Council, ADC, elections, alleging this was a total surrender of the ministers to the militants and their demands.
The two ministers in question are, Francis Ngajokpa and Phungzathang Tonsing.
Earlier, the Deputy Chief Minister, Gaikhangam, had announced Congress would be fighting all 130 seats of the ADC, but a day later changed his statement that only 90 would be in contest, on the plea of threats from the NSCN(IM) made the candidates withdraw candidatures.
Dissidents within the ruling Congress are now demanding that Ngajokpa and Phungzathang be dropped as minister for their alleged abject inability and incompetence, even suggesting complicity with the militants and their demands of vivification of Manipur.
These dissident said if this demand of theirs is not complied, there will be serious divisions within the Congress party.
They said in Senapati district, only four candidates of the total of 24 ADCs in the district filed nominations. Three of these are from the Senapati district president, Arhai`™s constituency and the remaining from former minister DD Thaisii.
Surprisingly, there were none from Rural Development minister, Ngajokpa`™s constituency.
In Churachandpur district too, of the district`™s total of 24 seats only seven filed nominations and surprisingly again there was not even one candidate from the Health Minister, Phungzathang`™s constituency.
Three of the seven candidates from Churchandpur districts are MLA T.N. Haokip`™s constituency, three more from MLA Manga Waiphei`™s constituency and one from Outer Manipur Lok Sabha MP, Thangso Baite`™s Assembly constituency.
The dissidents also said the explanation given by the MPCC president, Gaikhangam, that this was due to threats from NSCN(IM) and other underground groups, is an admission of incompetence, for when the ADC elections were first held after 23 years in 2010, though the NSCN(IM) prohibited the ADC elections, the local Congress leaders ensured Congressmen came out to file nominations and won majority in every ADC.
The fact that one Congress ADC candidate was killed and that the residence of the then Congress minister, DD Thaisii was burned down, did not deter the Congress victory, they said.
They said however things changed after the 2013 with the swearing in of a Congress government in the State for the third term.
Suddenly, the ADC`™s started complaining of their wings being clipped and their legitimate powers taken away, the dissidents said. The ADC members had even gone to Delhi to agitate on this matter, they reminded.
They demanded that those Congress leaders who could not ensure that Congress candidates filed nomination from their constituencies, should resign on their own for their have hurt the party`™s interest grieviously.