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04/04/2006: "Nagaland Assembly session to discuss office of profit on KOHIMA,"

Nagaland Assembly session to discuss office of profit on KOHIMA, APR 3 (PTI) OFFICE-NAGALAND Outlook India
An emergency session of the Nagaland Assembly will be held tomorrow to discuss the office of profit issue after both the ruling alliance and the opposition Congress demanded disqualification of MLAs holding such offices. Opposition Congress petitioned before Governor Shyamal Datta that Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio be disqualified as he was the chairman of two 'offices of profit' -- the Nagaland Sports Council and the Nagaland Bamboo Mission. On the other hand, the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN) demanded disqualification of CLP leader I Imkong, saying the Nagaland State Legislature Members (Removal of Disqualification) Act 1964 did not exempt the office of Opposition leader from disqualification and hence the post was an "office of profit".
But the Act exempted offices of chairmen of committees, councils, boards appointed by the state government, ruling alliance members asserted. The ruling and Opposition members today held seperate meetings to adopt strategies during the discussion in the House tomorrow. The Advocate-General of Nagaland was likely to address the emergency session to explain the provisions of the 1964 Act, Assembly secretariat sources said.
Do not destroy fabric of democracy: NPCC Morung Express News Dimapur | April 3

A day before the conduct of the special session of the Legislative Assembly to discuss the issue of disqualification from membership of the House, the Nagaland Pradesh Congress Committee today said it appears that the sole intent of summoning the assembly is to seek the interpretation of the Advocate General of the State on ‘The Nagaland State Legislative Members’ (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1964. It has strongly urged “all people including the elected representatives not to destroy the very foundation of democracy.”
Both the Vice President and Chairman of the Legal Cell of the NPCC today said in separate releases that in a parliamentary democracy, it is unimaginable that the Parliament or the Assembly can function without the office of the leader of opposition. NPCC Vice President Khriedi Theunuo said “any attempt to remove the office of the Leader of Opposition, either by legislation or otherwise, will be a direct attempt to murder parliamentary democracy.”
Citing Supreme Court cases to drive home his point, Theunuo said, “If the Leader of Opposition is to be disqualified for allegedly holding office of profit, then every MLA will be liable to be disqualified for holding an office since he is in receipt of salary, allowances and other perks and privileges and since he holds a post as MLA.”
He added that however, it must be noted that the MLAs, like the Leader of Opposition, are not holding the posts under the Government and are not, therefore, liable to disqualification under the provisions of Article 191 of the Constitution of India.
Noting that the said Act has been recently published in the local press for public consumption, NPCC Legal Cell Chairman A Zhimomi said, “It further appears that the publication of the said Act in the local papers is to convey the impression that the Chief Minister of the State does not attract disqualification as the Chairmanships of the Organizations held by him fall under the exemptions not under purview of the definition of ‘Office of profit.’”
Stating that the obvious inference that is sought to be conveyed is that the Leader of Opposition is an office of profit, the release said, “In Parliament/ Assembly, the Leader of the Opposition by his party and his nomenclature is formally recognized by the Speaker.”
MHA officials to visit state The Imphal Free Press

IMPHAL, Apr 2: Two top officials of the Union ministry of home affairs will arrive tomorrow at Imphal from New Delhi on a brief visit in the state to review the law and order situation of the state, an official source said today. The two officials are special secretary, internal security Dr. GS Rajgopal, and joint secretary, north eastern region, Rajiv Agarwal. They are to arrive at Kangla helipad by an Indian Air Force chopper and will return to Delhi by the same chopper in the afternoon the next day. During their stay at Imphal the two officials will call on state Governor SS Sidhu and chief minister O Ibobi Singh apart from holding talks with chief secretary, Jarnail Singh, DGP, AK Parasar and other top rank officials of central security forces deployed in the state of Manipur and Nagaland sector.
GB Federation defend integrated legal system The Morung Express
Dimapur April 3 (MExN): The GBs (Village Chiefs) Federation has reacted to the senior Advocate and Assistant Solicitor General of India in regard to the issue of Separation of Judiciary from the Executive. Expressing surprise that the Solicitor “should stoop down so low as to call the representation of the Village Chiefs/GBs as misconceived and misleading, the founder of the federation, TL Angami, questioned if it can be denied that litigation in the present day court cost money and that too often beyond the reach of the poor. If assuming separation of judiciary is effected Angami asked whether or not all the advocates should agree to “appear for their clients at lower courts without consideration of their fees?”
“The GBs are of the view that these and myriad other questions need to be addressed to before taking any hasty action for separation of judiciary, hence, the representation” TL Angami maintained adding that it does not require lengthy discussion. “Suffice it to say that according to the Naga traditional law, separation of power goes beyond the human realm as because we acknowledge God to be our final arbiter where there is no place for bribery. Nobody in his right mind can deny the efficacy of such a system and Nagas are God-fearing people” Angami maintained, reaffirming that the federation had “rightly” advised the Governor of Nagaland to “go slow” and not to take hasty action. The federation added that otherwise would mean it likely would affect the basic structure of the Naga society.
Further more TL Angami stated that “the voices of the villagers are often not very audible and definitely not as loud as that of educated (groups). He asked that however, if at all the former voice their opinions it was for all to lend ears “and not muffle it by long discourses.” Angami in this regard reminded that Article 371 (A) clearly stated that no act of the Parliament will be applicable in Nagaland unless the State Legislative Assembly by a resolution decides to this effect. “The above article by implication has wide scope covering the entire way of life of the Nagas. Hence the Separation of Judiciary which is likely to effect the Nagas’ social structure cannot be taken lightly for it will amount to breach of faith” Angami contented adding that the spirit of Indian laws are already applicable in Nagaland and the High court functioning without difficulty. “Therefore it is not too much to ask the government of Nagaland to ‘let well alone, thus far and no further’” he added.
SBI strike paralyses banks Nagaland Post
Dimapur, April 3 (NPN): Banking services in the State Bank of India (SBI) across the country, including Nagaland, came to a grinding halt on Monday following an indefinite strike called by the bank officers and employees' associations. The associations claimed that about 2.5 lakh employees, including officers, joined the strike in 9,000 branches across the country. The nationwide strike comes in the wake of the government's failure to address the long-pending issue of pension scheme, awaiting revision for the past fourteen years. The union's talk with the Chief Labour Commissioner in Delhi on April 1 had also failed. Meanwhile, all branches of the bank including the bank's Regional Office in Dimapur remained closed on Monday in view of the strike.
In Dimapur, the officers and the staff participated in a dharna outside the Regional Office. A statement issued jointly by SBI Officers' Association Assistant General Secretary, David Kire, and SBI Staff Association Deputy General Secretary, A. Lolly, said the strike would continue indefinitely till such a time a settlement to the pension issue was met with.
Officers and staff of the bank worked on April 1, which was a holiday and on April 2, which was a Sunday, for disbursal of salaries in order to mitigate the hardship that was to be faced by the pensioners and salaried persons. "The pension issue has been dragging for the last fourteen years and due to the recalcitrant attitude of the bank management and the central government, we have been forced to resort to the strike," the statement said. The bank appealed to the public to bear with the inconveniences.
Wrong political slogan, says NNC The Morung Express
DIMAPUR, APRIL 3 (MExN): The Naga national Council today said a political slogan uttered by Special Emissary to the NSCN (IM) Collective Leadership VS Atem was incorrect. A local daily had earlier quoted Atem as saying that “a solution to the Nagas will not fall from heaven” during a meeting with Western Angami Nagas. “Then, will a solution to the Nagas come up from hell?” Thomas, an NNC member said in a release.
“This slogan of IM leaders clearly manifested that they never regard or believe that God has bestowed the sovereignty to the Nagas,” he said. It was further alleged that the NSCN (IM) has adopted another resolution to “finish up the NNC.” Saying that the IM had climbed down from the demand of sovereignty and is now looking for a political solution, Thomas said, “The Nagas are not fighting for a political solution within the Indian Union, but just defending God’s gift (of) sovereignty.”
Emergent session of Nagaland Assembly tomorrow Sentinel KOHIMA, April 3: (UNI) Emergent session of the Nagaland Assembly will begin here tomorrow to discuss the controversial ‘office of profit’ issue. Speaker Kiyanilie Peseyi has summoned the 11th session of the tenth Assembly as per the decision of the State cabinet, which met here on Thursday. dvocate General of the Nagaland Government is likely to talk with members of the House about the Nagaland Legislative Members’ (Removal of Disqualification) Act, 1964, during the one-day session. During the cabinet meeting, members were briefed on the Act. The cabinet has decided to send a copy of the Act to the Election Commission for reference. Earlier, the opposition Congress member, in a petition to Governor Shyamal Datta demanded disqualification of Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio for allegedly holding two offices of profit-- the Nagaland State Sports Council and the Nagaland Bamboo Mission. Similarly, the Nagaland Peoples Front (NPF), a major coalition partner of the ruling Democratic Alliance of Nagaland (DAN), demanded disqualification of leader of opposition I Imkong for allegedly holding twin offices of profit.
Nagaland joins countrywide SBI strike The Morung ExpressDimapur, April 3 (MExN): The indefinite countrywide strike jointly called by the All India State Bank of India Officer’s Federation and State Bank of India Staff Association was launched today with all officers and staff participating in a mass dharna outside the regional office of the State Bank of India, Dimapur.
All the branches of the state Bank of India in Nagaland and the regional office Dimapur remained closed today with the rest of the country, according to David Kire, Assistant General Secretary, SBI Officers’ Union and A Lolly, Deputy General Secretary.
The strike will continue till such time a settlement on the pension issue is reached, it was added. In this regard, both the organizations of the SBI informed all the bank’s customers that in order to mitigate the hardships “likely to be faced” by the pensioners and salaried persons, the staff and the officers worked on April 1 which was a holiday and on April 2 which was a Sunday for payment of the salaries. It was further maintained that that the pension issue has been ‘dragging on’ for the last 14 years and due to the “recalcitrant attitude” of the Bank management and the central government, the said organizations were forced to resort to strike. It also appealed to the public to bear with the action.
SAYING IT AGAIN The Telegraph
It is necessary sometimes to state the obvious. The prime minister, Mr Manmohan Singh, did not really say anything new when he ruled out any discussion on Assam’s “sovereignty” with the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom. Successive governments in New Delhi had insisted that any dialogue with the Ulfa or the two factions of the National Socialist Council of Nagalim could be held only within the framework of the Constitution. But Mr Singh’s statement in Guwahati is significant insofar as it makes the government’s position clear once more. Equally important is his remark that the boundaries of the states of the region would not be redrawn without the consent of the affected states. It is not difficult to see why Mr Singh chose to re-state the government’s positions. Clearly, he had to reassure the people of Assam that the state’s territorial integrity was as important to the Centre as its peace. Any impression to the contrary could be damaging for the Congress’s prospects in the assembly polls.
It is possible that the Ulfa and the NSCN, particularly the faction led by Mr Isak Chishi Swu and Mr Thuingaleng Muivah, would be somewhat upset by Mr Singh’s statement. Despite their militant rhetoric, none of the groups really expects Assam or Nagaland to acquire a “sovereign” status through peace talks. The NSCN(I-M)’s demand for the integration of all Naga-inhabited areas into a “Greater Nagaland”, though, is more complicated. The outfit sees the idea as central to its concept of a Naga “nation”. But it is also aware of the government’s predicament. For any move to carve out territories from other states in order to create a “Greater Nagaland” would cause ugly backlashes in these states. That this is no idle speculation was proved by the violence in Imphal three years ago. However, Mr Singh’s statement should not be seen as an end to peace talks with the Nagas; nor should it stand in the way of similar initiatives with the Ulfa.
EC receives 100 petitions on offices of profit issue Press Trust of India New Delhi, The office of profit has opened a Pandora's box as 100 petitions concerning MPs and MLAs have been received by the Election Commission. Of the 100 petitions, 25 relates to Members of Parliament while the rest from the states with BJP-ruled Jharkhand accounting for the largest such complaints -- 19 followed by 14 in Uttaranchal having a Congress government. While 13 complaints have come from BJP-ruled Chhattisgarh, 12 are from Himachal Pradesh having a Congress government and 11 from Tripura. Three complaints have come from Rajasthan, two from Nagaland and one from Uttar Pradesh. Of the 25 petitions regarding MPs, 18 belonged to Lok Sabha and seven Rajya Sabha.
Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee has petitioned the President against ten CPI(M) MPs including Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee. While Bachchan has been disqualified, Congress President Sonia Gandhi has resigned from her Lok Sabha seat in the wake of the opposition campaign that the government and Parliament were being used to "save" her from certain disqualification. Observing that these petitions have been referred by President A P J Abdul Kalam and the Governors of respective states, EC sources said the petitions were "at various stages of consideration".
The plethora of complaints have come at a time when the government has decided to bring forward a comprehensive legislation on the issue in the reconvened session of Parliament beginning May 10 after holding consultations with various political parties.
Checks & Balances Today's Editorial Th Morung Express
Despite constitutional bindings, the separation of the judiciary from the executive wing of the state remains still a far cry due to obvious reluctance and foot-dragging on the part of the Nagaland government for many years now. The re-emerging contest on the issue between the proponents and those who are opposed to separation of powers is as much an intellectual debate as it is a contradiction between the forces of tradition and modernity.
A petition signed by TL Angami, Advisor, GB/ Village Chief Federation asking the Governor to intervene in putting a stop to any separation of the judiciary from the executive will only further polarize the ongoing contention. However those on either side of the debate would be well advised not to take extreme positions. Rather a practical formula needs to be evolved wherein separation of judiciary can take place and at the same time the traditional customary practices can co-exist by giving statutory recognition to it.
Despite the Supreme Court of India issuing direction to the Nagaland State government to implement the provision of Article 50 (which calls for separation of the Judiciary from the Executive), the decision at the end would have to be a political one. Those who want a separation are also at a disadvantage for the simple reason that Article 50 (which enjoins upon the respective State government to implement this provision) is merely a directive and cannot be enforced in a court of law. As such, any change in the present status-quo can come about only if the current leadership in Nagaland demonstrates the political will to do so.
There is a misgiving among the general public that the only reason of delaying this constitutional right to the citizens of Nagaland is that the politicians and the bureaucrats in the State do not like to check corruption and misappropriations of government money. Whatever the case may be, as a prerequisite to ensuring justice in a democratic society and to evolve an independent judiciary, separating the judiciary from the executive is a requirement. While the Village Chiefs may have a point or two they should also keep the fact in mind that the elements of a functioning democracy which includes elections, the voters, representatives and a government have already been accepted into the body politic of Naga society. To exclude an independent judiciary from the present system is akin to cutting off an inherent part of the system with the result that the body itself suffers from maladies. For an effective and functioning democratic system the three organs as an entirety must act independently of each other. The political executive on its part would do well to speed up the process of separation by putting the necessary laws and administrative measures into place. In a State like Nagaland, the process itself can be delicate but in the long run putting in place such a system would deter potential abuse of power. While the best practices of Naga customary laws needs to be recognized, a via media must be worked out to bring together the merits of age old wisdom with the finer points of modern jurisprudence. No one should have any ground to complain about benefiting from the best of both worlds.
PM’s failure to vote evokes anger in Assam Nagaland Post
Guwahati, Apr 3 (PTI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's failure to exercise his franchise at a polling station under Dispur assembly, where he is registered as a voter, has evoked mixed reactions among co-voters.
"The Prime Minister was here Sunday and Saturday asking people to vote, but he himself is not here to cast his ballot," people at polling station number 155 told reporters, pointing to Singh's name on the list. "He should have been here. He is a voter from this constituency. Did he get his name included in the voter list here only to get himself elected to the Rajya Sabha?" asked voter Babul Das. "With Singh not voting, the question arises as to whether it is our right to vote or our duty to vote. It seems it is only common people's duty to vote and not of prime minister's," said Aruna Kalita, who had braved the rains to cast her vote. Others were more sympathetic to the Prime Minister. "Maybe he has other programmes to attend to and, therefore, could not make it here," Hamen Sarma said. Voter Charan Medhi said "the prime minister is a busy person. He cannot be expected to stay back ignoring his important work for the nation to cast his vote here. He may not be physically present here but his heart is with Assam".
Election office sources here said that the Prime Minister, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Assam in 1991, had cast his vote only in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections but did not vote in the 1991, 1996 and 2001 assembly polls.
Assam polls peaceful, 68 pc turnout Sangai Express
ULFA chief's mother casts vote, PM Dr Singh fails to do the same
Guwahati, Apr 3 : Amidst unprecedented security, an estimated 68 per cent of the 92 lakh electorate today cast their votes in the first phase of Assembly elections in Assam which passed off peacefully, in sharp contrast to militancy- marred democratic exercises in the last several decades.
The polling began on a dull note as rains kept the voters away in the first half of the day but as the weather cleared, the electorate, especially women and youths, came out in droves to participate in the democratic process that would decide the fate of Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi among 515 candidates in the opening phase.
Deputy Election Commissioner R Bhattacharya said in Delhi that about 68 percent of the electorate cast their votes in the first phase today.
Unlike polls in the past, which had been marred by militant violence and boycott call by them, balloting today was peaceful with people coming out without fear to vote at 9,723 polling stations to decide who will represent them in 65 of the total of 126 constituencies.
Both banned ULFA and NDFB decided to keep away from the election. In fact, ULFA chairman Arabinda Rajkhowa has asked the people to vote for the party which would raise the issue of Assam's “sovereignty.”
ULFA “commander-in-chief” Paresh Barua's octogenarian mother Miliki Barua also cast her vote. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his wife Gursharan Kaur were conspicuous by their absence from voting at polling station number 155 under Dispur constituency where they were listed in the voters' list, evoking mixed reactions from voters.
Some claimed Singh, being the Prime Minister, was "setting a bad example by not voting" while others were sympathetic to him stating he was away possibly due to his busy schedule.
Heavy turnout was reported in Upper Assam constituencies falling under Jorhat, Dibrugarh Sibsagar and Tinsukia districts in Brahmaputra valley as well as Barak valley. Though intitially the one-day cricket match between India and England in Goa kept cricket fans glued to their television sets, many of them rushed out to vote once the rains stopped.
Access to polling stations was barred at 4 pm But voters, who had entered the booths earlier, were allowed to cast their votes, the election office said. There was unprecedented security in most of the polling booths. Prominent contestants from Congress, which last time had won in 42 constituencies in the first phase, were Ministers Gautam Roy (Katlicherra), Himanta Biswa Sarma (Jalukbari), Anjan Dutta (Amguri), Ajanta Neog (Golaghat), Hemaprava Saikia (Nazira), Pradyut Bordoloi (Margherita), besides sitting MLAs Haren Das (Hajo) and Pranati Phukan (Naharkatiya). Heavy weights of main opposition AGP, which had won eight seats last time, were former Minister Ramendra Narayan Kalita (Gauhati West), Kamala Kalita (Chhaygaon), Jatin Mali (Palas-bari), Nurul Husain (Hajo), Thaneswar Boro (Rangiya), Pradeep Hazarika (Amguri) and Jagadish Bhuyan (Sadiya). PTI

Democracy and accountability By Lt Col H Bhuban Singh (retd) Article Sangai Express
Revolt of Barons in May 1215 forced John, King of England, Lord of Ireland, Duke of Normandy and Aquitaine, to sign the world famous document known as Magna Carta. This marked the beginning of assertion of peoples’ power known as democracy. Then, came the American War of Independence (1756-63) which led to the creation of the United States of America (USA), the most powerful country of the world now. This historic event was followed by the famous French Revolution of 1789, which forced King Louis XVI of France to bring about political and religious changes. These are landmark happenings for the birth of democracy. During the early days of ushering democracy in England, Members of Parliament used to purchase their seats. Sometime in the sixteenth century, a sitting British MP was approached by the voters of his constituency and informed him that the price tag of being elected to Parliament had been raised from the earlier two hundred pounds (a huge sum then), to two hundred and fifty pounds and that he had to pay fifty pounds more now. The MP coolly replied that they did not have to worry, since he had already purchased his MP seat much cheaper from some other constituency at one hundred and fifty pounds! Such disease of buying voters had disappeared from England years ago.
We, in Manipur, nay, the entire India, are also suffering from this lust of money, which corrupted Englanders about five centuries ago. Indians should read “Confessions-La Face Records”, which says ‘Learn from the mistakes of others. You can’t make them all yourself’. Therefore, let us not wait to go through the same agonising rituals of reaching adulthood of democracy, but learn from the mistakes of others.
Reality biting Manipur now, is that the first question asked by the public to any aspiring candidate for an Assembly constituency is ‘Has he got rupees fifty lakhs for election expenses?’ Let us for a moment analyse what this amount can do. It is known to everyone that the current moneylender’s rate of interest is four percent per month with security like gold or pension book etc, in Imphal area. Therefore, the interest on rupees fifty lakhs works out to two lakhs per month. That being so, I am beginning to wonder what that prospective MLA with a monthly salary of less than twenty thousand rupees desires to perform except for looting public money, if he wins. After all, money cannot be thrown away for nuts.
Just by the way, Govt of Manipur needed to pass a legislation to fix private rate of interest at a reasonable limit. Such a thing was contemplated by the Neiphiu Rio Government of Nagaland. But I am not sure if a legislation has been passed in Nagaland. But we need one here in Manipur. The easiest to understand and most apt definition of democracy is the one given by Abraham Lincoln, which says that democracy is a form of Govt for the people, by the people and of the people. In Manipur and in almost all parts of India, it is a form of Government for the rich, by the rich and of the rich. It is now time for us to change this drill. Let an Indian John Major, who was a coal miner, become Prime Minister of India, like the original John Major did in the United Kingdom. Such things can happen when money power is, removed and democracy really means the mandate of the people.
Recently, Government of India (GoI) made an effort to bring about public funding of elections by organising an All Party meet. However, the meet was inconclusive, since there was no road map charted out earlier, to form the basis of discussion. Even then, it was a good effort, since the intention was good.
Just a few weeks ago on 19 March, there was a Presidential election in Be-larus. It was all rigged and most countries of European Union and the USA refused to accept the election result. People came out by the thousands in the streets of Minsk, capital of Belarus during night, under shower of snowflakes. Whether it will turn out to be like the one situation faced by the then allegedly defeated but now President Victor Unishe-nko of Ukraine, time can only tell. Anyhow, if the people of Belarus continue with their vigil and if international pressure continues to mount, there may be a repeat Ukraine in Belarus.
Now finally, let us turn to accountability. It is our experience that the general public tend to blame politicians for all the ills we are now encountering. Quite right! But in a democracy, people have the right to reject dirty politicians every four years or five years depending on the Constitution of the country. Moreover, in certain countries, the term of President or Prime Minister is limited to two only in a lifetime. This is to curb the chances of an extraordinarily brilliant and clever President perpetuating his regime within the bounds of constitutional law.
George Bernard Shaw is reputed to have said, “In a democracy, people will get the Government they deserve”. This indirectly implies that our people deserve the kind of Government (read politicians), we have. Therefore, a self cleansing process by the people themselves is required, before politicians/Governments can be cleaned up. Accountability for democracy lies on the people. It is indeed, nice to read about the disqualification of several MPs, who were involved in bribery scams for their favours of raising parliamentary questions. Just recently, Jaya Bachchan has been unseated from Rajya Sabha. Several MPs, who are high in the political hierarchy, are on the hook. Smelling trouble, GoI or ruling alliance had adjourned Parliament sine die. Hottest news on March 23 is that Sonia Gandhi has resigned from Parliament. More heavy weights like Karan Singh etc. have also quit Parliament. Opposition is barking and is ready to bite. They have warned Rashtrapati not to sign any ordinance on the dotted line.
These happenings are symptoms of a vibrant and functioning democracy, because our judiciary is independent and our Press is without shackles. By the way, let me personally appeal to our organisations - overground or underground - not to gag Manipur Press, however unpalatably they may write about you. Democracy needs a vibrant Press. Finally, since supreme power lies with the people, only a mature and just electorate can bring about a pro-people and public friendly Government.

PM fails to cast vote in Dispur Assam Tribune
GUWAHATI, April 3 – Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s failure to exercise his franchise at a polling station under Dispur LAC, where he is registered as a voter, has evoked mixed reactions among co-voters, reports PTI. “The Prime Minister was here yesterday and the day before asking people to vote, but he himself is not here to cast his ballot,” people at polling station number 155 told reporters, pointing to Singh’s name on the list.
“He should have been here. He is a voter from this constituency. Did he get his name included in the voter list here only to get himself elected to the Rajya Sabha?” asked voter Babul Das.
“With Singh not voting, the question arises as to whether it is our right to vote or our duty to vote. It seems it is only common people’s duty to vote and not of Prime Minister’s,” said Aruna Kalita, who had braved the rains to cast her vote. Others were more sympathetic to the Prime Minister. “Maybe he has other programmes to attend to and, therefore, could not make it here,” Hamen Sarma said.
Voter Charan Medhi said “the Prime minister is a busy person. He cannot be expected to stay back ignoring his important work for the nation to cast his vote here. He may not be physically present here but his heart is with Asom”.
Election office sources here said that the Prime Minister, elected to the Rajya Sabha from Asom in 1991, had cast his vote only in the 1998 Lok Sabha elections but did not vote in the 1991, 1996 and 2001 assembly polls.

Protesters say no to Tipaimukh dam From Sobhapati Samom Assam Tribune
IMPHAL, April 3 – Armed with placards which read – ‘No to Dam !’ – hundreds of rallyists today staged a mass protest rally against the proposed 1,500 MW Tipaimukh project. A public meeting was also organized as part of the protest rally at Thangmeiband Athletic Union Ground here under the aegis of Action Committee Against Tipaimukh Project, a conglomerate of twenty-five civil societies of Manipur. Earlier, the rally which started from Lamlong ground in Imphal East district passed through the main streets of Imphal to converge at the meeting ground. Panti Golmei, a woman activist who took part in the rally told this correspondent that it is necessary to hold such a mass rally to pronounce the wishes of the people against the construction of any dam. “Because we can live without power but we cannot live without our land”, she said.
Another action committee member expressed the need to take a stand against the dam construction in the region. “If the dam is constructed, many villages of Tamenglong district would be submerged under water including our orange producing belt of Barak valley”, a member of Zeliangrong Youth Front felt. Quoting experts, he further disclosed that thousands of people would be displaced apart from submergence of nearly 100 villages.
North Eastern Electric Power Corporation(NEEPCO),the main work agency behind the Tipaimukh Dam had asked the Manipur Government to conduct a public hearing over the Tipaimukh dam without delay. Deputy General Manager of NEEPCO, Ph Ibomcha, informed the media here on Sunday that seven international construction firms from Japan,China and Iran have expressed their interest for the construction.