IMPHAL, Feb 7: The militant outfit Zeliangrong United Front (ZUF) today sharply criticized the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC) president Gaikhangam for “repeatedly accusing” the outfit of interfering at the recent Manipur assembly polls, which it vehemently denied.
ZUF Joint secretary, A Remroi said in a press statement that Gaikhangam is a cunning individual who has not pledge his loyalty to either the Secular Progressive Front (SPF) government headed by O Ibobi, the AICC in Delhi or the UPA government at the Centre as he often played hide and seek against the CM of Manipur and everybody is aware of it.
The outfit reiterated that any involvement in the electoral game anywhere in the Zeliangrong region and elsewhere will not bring the desired solidarity and conservation of own land and resources as aspired by Zeliangrong, Inpui, Chiru, Kom and tribes in the Indian sub-continent of South East Asia, saying that the front adhered to the collective
Decision/resolution of non-political involvement in the electoral process, especially during the recent elections to the 10th Manipur Assembly.
But the MPCC president secretly organized armed cadres attired in combat dresses and weapons in a calculated move to throw the blame on different underground organizations and gain electoral mileage, ZUF alleged.
It added, the people cannot forget his past records when many rival supporters were injured by gun shots or physical attacks, vehicles of his rivals being destroyed or pushed down the gorges at Longpi circle in 2002 and elsewhere, ballot boxes being found in a field in Nungba Constituency. In 1990, a rival election office, Taolingpung at Namkaolong village part-II was attacked by his armed gang that injured many from gun shots and the villagers were also tortured even as one lakh rupees fine was imposed on the village during the re-poll in Taosang polling station when his armed gang along with some outfits imposed a boycott against rival voters. Gaikhangam also used a few militant cadres in connivance with his armed gang during his election campaign in 2007 and this time, for the 2012 elections, he played a hidden game of criminalization of politics.
ZUF also alleged the MPCC president for being an anti-Naga and anti-Zeliangrong leader while saying that the leader is neither a trusted friend of the Meitei, Muslim and the Kuki and said that he strongly opposed the Zeliangrong People`s Convention (ZPC) movement in the 1980s and the 1990s and played a game with the Naga nationalists with a plot to sabotage the “national movement” at one hand and for his political mileage on the other by using certain cadres.
The militant front also warned Gaikhangam to stop making further allegations and false charges against ZUF, asserting that for a man like Gaikhangam, it is better to work for the humanity and protection of the lands of the concerned indigenous people, and it repeated its warning that the willy politician should speak the truth and support good work from now onward or face future consequences that will be damaging.