IMPHAL, May 20: Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam has today appealed to all village chiefs, headmen and chairmen to ensure the June 1 Autonomous District Council election is conducted in a free and fair manner instead of yielding to the instigations and pressures from the different hill based underground outfits to support their candidates.
Gaikhangam who is also the Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee president was addressing a function held as part of the 125th Birth Anniversary observation of the `Father of the Indian Constitution`™ Dr BR Ambedkar organised by the Tamenglong District Congress Committee.
The party`™s election campaign was also inaugurated during the function held at the Noney Longmai common ground at Nungba sub-division, Tamenglong.
Gaikhangam said with the ADC election approaching, there are reports of hill based UG organisations summoning village chiefs forcefully through written notes.
We have access to the written notes of the UG groups from the State`™s intelligence sources, Gaikhanngam who is also the State Home minister claimed.
He continued, after summoning the village chiefs, they will be forced to sign papers saying that they support the UG groups endorsed candidates and then declare before the public that the chiefs had voluntarily supported the candidates.
This is entirely against democracy and an act of desperate measures of the `Kilonsers`™ of the UG groups and their cadres, he continued.
He further said a `kilonser`™ coming down to the status of a grade IV peon and delivering summon letters to the village chiefs is in itself an act of surprise.
He further appealed to the people to bravely face such dictates of the UGs and not to abide by them ahead of the election.
In case they warn or threaten of punishment for defying their summon, tell them that the deputy Chief Minister has forbidden them and to sort it out with the deputy Chief Minister instead, he said.
`Let them attack me using any weapon I will face them,`™ Gaikhangam said adding that anyone abiding to the summons of the UG groups are guilty in the eyes of the law.
The ADC election had been opposed by the people of the hills unless the 6th Schedule was implemented in the hills, however, after 20 years, under the leadership of Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh, the election was conducted for the first time in 2010, he said.
The election will provide a local self government in the hills and so everyone should ensure that the polls are conducted in a free and fair manner, Gaikhangam observed.
The function was also attended by Hill Areas Committee vice chairman Z Kikonbou Newmai, Tamanglong MLA Janghemlung Panmei and Congress candidates from Tamenglong ADC constituencies.