Bimol Akoijam explains why he has stepped into electoral ring; Alfred questions indifference of BJPRed carpet rolled out for Cong candidates

By Our Staff Reporter
IMPHAL, Mar 24 : Starting off on the right note, Congress candidate for the Lok Sabha election (Inner Parliamentary seat) Professor Angomcha Bimol Akoijam has categorically stated that he stepped into electoral politics as he no longer want to only comment on issues concerning Manipur as a teacher but work from the inside.
He also said that he will show what a Member of Parliament can do inside and outside the Parliament if he is elected.
Bimol is Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru University and he was accorded a warm welcome by a group of supporters at Imphal Airport today.
Addressing a reception programme at Congress Bhavan later, Bimol Akoijam continued that his ideology as a student of social science is more suited to the principle of Indian National Congress especially the party views on 'secularism and diversity.'
Stating that the federalism structure of the country has deteriorated under the regime of the BJP Government with the Centre taking over the responsibility of the State, the Congress candidate maintained that there is also indication of some people politicising the issue in Manipur.
He also expressed displeasure with the silence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Manipur violence which has crossed the 10 months mark.
The movement of 2001 was taken out against the pressure mounted on the State's integrity but the situation today is more alarming, he said referring to displacement of people from Churachandpur and other places on a large scale.
Notably, Bimol has been at the forefront in batting for the idea of Manipur at many fora.
Saying that his father also contested the State Assembly election in 1980 on the INC ticket, Bimol thanked the Congress party for giving him the opportunity to contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election.
The Professor further said that he has a strong regional feeling but decided to contest the election on the Congress ticket as the regional parties in Manipur are unstable.
Congress party will stay as the principal political party in India and it will play a key role in developing an opposite political force in the country, he added.
Appealing to the people to not take the forthcoming Lok Sabha election lightly, he said that  this election can decide the fate of Manipur which the Prime Minister has ignored.
Alfred K Arthur who will contest the election in Outer seat on Congress ticket stated that it is politics which can bring a positive change in the State or break it apart.
He wondered why the BJP is focusing on announcing developmental programmes when the State has been burning for over 10 months.
If the BJP Government wants to end the violence then they can do so by letting the Kuki and Meitei representatives hold a dialogue at Guwahati with Naga MLAs playing the intermediary role.
Expressing concern over the elected representatives becoming high handed, Alfred said that the situation in Manipur is similar with the proverbial "Tumdaba Mee Houdokpa Wai" which roughly translates ‘it is difficult to wake up those who are not sleeping.’