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Manipur : Rise in militant activities as polls draw near |
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As the deadline for assembly elections in Manipur draws nearer, there has been a steep rise in militant activity in the state. The residences of former Chief Minister Nipamacha Singh at Wangoi and Lok Sabha MP Thounaojam Chaoba Singh at Utlou were attacked by militants on January 18. These attacks were preceded by strikes on the residences of other political figures in Manipur, including former Chief Minister Radhabinod Koijam.
Sources in Imphal said the “run-up to the elections can turn out to be extremely ugly. Manipur has over a dozen ethnic militant outfits which have already started issuing dictates to politicians.”
With the attacks on politicians’ houses, the militants seem to have fired the warning shot. However, a Manipur-based government source said that “doubts remain as to whether these acts of arson are a result of hardcore militant activity or activism taken up by angry youth disillusioned with the political set up of the state.”
Even as violence spirals in the state, pre-election political activity is also picking up pace. The Nationalist Congress Party has decided to field 32 candidates in the forthcoming assembly elections. Senior NCP leader and former Lok Sabha Speaker, P.A. Sangma, has committed the party to the slogan of “development for peace.” Sangma hinted that the NCP favoured going it alone in the elections. However, he stressed that a final decision on the matter remained to be taken.
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