Imphal: Manipur continues to be on the boil -- both on political and security fronts. And if the disarray in the major ruling party, the Congress, and fight for dominance among insurgents are any indication, then the coming year seems no different.
The Congress is the main player in the ruling Secular Progressive Front (SPF), formed on March 2 last, with Ibobi Singh as the Chief Minister. The Congress faced an internal crisis when at least 18 of its 31 MLAs demanded removal of Singh.
Party sources said the dissident MLAs, including senior leaders -- Forest Minister Debendra Singh, Food and Civil supply Minister Y Erabot and Power Minister T Phungzathang -- had submitted a memorandum to party president Sonia Gandhi.
Dissident spokesman Y Surachandra had earlier said the dissidents MLAs, who had camped in New Delhi for more than a month in October, alleged corruption and bribery in appointments of government jobs and amassing of wealth by the Chief Minister.
Ibobi Singh, however, has said that the dissident group should spell out specific cases, asserting that he was prepared to fight in court of law.
The last Assembly elections in Manipur were held in February this year in which Congress secured a simple majority.
The strength of the 60-member Manipur legislative Assembly is – Ruling: Congress (31) and CPI (4) and Opposition: Manipur People`s Party (5), Independents 10, NCP 4, RJD 3 and National People`s Party 3.
Given the factional fight within the Congress, the political uncertainty in Manipur would not end in the near future, party sources said.
On the security front, at least 132 persons, including civilians, militants and security and police personnel, have so far been killed in different insurgency-connected incidents. The previous year figure was 120.
Sources said the insurgency-related violence worsened towards the end of the year with more than 40 persons being killed between October and November alone.
A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, said the rise in the number of killings of youths was due to factional fights within different militant outfits.
He said the biggest factional fight was reported on September 3 in which 10 Kuki militants of Kuki Liberation Army (KLA) were killed by NSCN-IM militants at Tangkhul Hundung area in interior Ukhrul district.
Official sources said various militant outfits kidnapped several officials of different government departments in separate incidents in the year either for `questioning` for their alleged involvement in corruption or for ransom.
The year also saw an alleged nexus between politicians and militants. Eleven militants of many banned outfits, including Kanglei Yawol Kann Lup (KYKL), People`s Revolutionary Party of Kangleipak (PREPAK) and People`s Liberation Army (PLA) were arrested from official residences of some MLAs on July 26.
"The coming year is also likely to witness more insurgency-related violence as major insurgent organizations have intensified their activities both in the valley and hill areas of the state," an official source said.
According to sources, the Army and Assam Rifles have also been continuing `Operation Samtal-Two` in Chandel district bordering Myanmar since middle of November to drive out UNLF rebels, who have set up a new battalion of the Manipur People`s Army (MPA), the group`s armed wing.
Bureau Report
