Former minister Haokholet Kipgen, chief of Hengbung village, who is also the former national vice president of BJP ST Morcha organized a one-day workers consultative meeting on Tuesday.
TFM Kangpokpi Representative
Former minister Haokholet Kipgen, chief of Hengbung village, who is also the former national vice president of BJP ST Morcha organized a one-day workers consultative meeting on Tuesday.
Interestingly, despite unfavorable weather, more than 500 leaders from various communities including village chiefs from as many as 51 villages across the Saitu assembly constituency turned up to attend the consultative meeting considering the former minister as a “public mandated” candidate in the ensuing 2022 General Assembly Election.
Surprisingly, village chiefs and various community leaders even from far-flung Khoirok(Dolang Khunou) and from various other remotest parts of the assembly constituency also attended the meet.
While expressing her gratitude to the community leaders, village chiefs, and the workers for their unceasing support, Joujam Kipgen, wife of the former Minister offered an altar before Rev. Letkhothang Haokip, Pastor Hengbung Baptist Church invoked a blessing prayer during the meet.
The only candidate to win the state election uncontested in the year 1998 in the history of the Manipur Legislative Assembly, Haokholet Kipgen, declared his commitment to the mammoth crowd that he is all prepared to contest the upcoming 2022 election with the BJP ticket from 51-Saitu AC clearing all doubts of his supporters and the public.
“I am 99.9 percent confident of getting the BJP ticket”, declared the 64 years old veteran politician.
Haokholet Kipgen, the third senior-most BJP leader in the hill districts of the state said that as I am confident of getting the BJP ticket, I have decided to convene the consultative meeting with my workers to discuss ideas, opinions, and various strategies in connection with the ensuing election as I want to begin charity at home and next to my people.
The former national vice president, BJP ST Morcha, and Northeast in-charge boldly asserted that time has come to stop the culture of the election using intimidating voters using external as well as internal forces or other means rather people must enjoy the festival of election through the free and fair and peaceful election modes.
Appreciating the various initiatives of the BJP led government under the leadership of chief minister N. Biren Singh to preserve the environment in the hill districts, the founder of Foundation for Environment and Economic Development Services (FEEDS), Haokholet Kipgen said that despite the hill people born together with the land, nobody cares about the environment, while adding that it is high time the hill people and their representatives take extreme and serious care for the environment.
Strongly emphasizing preserving the environment, Kipgen appreciated and thanked the chief minister of Manipur and the state government for the various initiatives in preserving the environment in the hills.
He also pointed out that many elected representatives completely forget who they are by constructing buildings in the capital city, and various metropolitan cities in the country and confining within it and having no time to visit their place of origin, the hills, while completely forgetting the grievances and hardships of the people in the hills.
However, they continue to be elected through various means which I considered as the failure on the part of the public, Kipgen said before adding that now the public must wake up and vote for such candidate who cares about the welfare of the hill and its people, not those who can build a luxurious building in the city and enjoying a luxurious life ignoring the grievances of its people in the hills.
He maintained that for the past five years there are various issues within the Saitu constituency and people are facing tremendous hardships as if there is no MLA representing the people of Saitu and this could happen as the people are yet to elect public mandate representatives.
The co-author of the book “Manipur Hope, Peace and Development”, Haokholet Kipgen exhorted his workers, village chiefs, and community leaders to maintain their unceasing support and pray for a peaceful success in the election.
The Liangmei community leader who spoke on the occasion said that the Liangmei community had a collective decision to support the BJP in the upcoming election as we see a ray of hope upon it while assuring that we will support and vote Haokholet Kipgen if he got the BJP ticket.
Various Kuki chiefs from Saitu AC apart from the Rongmei/Liangmei, Mao, Maram, etc. said that they are now awakened and their eyes are open wide as they understand things very well and clear while conveying that they are now wise enough to choose for their representatives.
One of the Naga’s communities leader said that there are times we lost the election owing to various malpractice, but Haokholet Kipgen is still the public mandate candidate while exhorting the gathering that if we shed our fears and boldly stand and vote him, he will be elected as the public mandate.
“The fear of the guns and powers rendered us to suffer, avoiding numerous developments; now, it is time we vote for a public mandated candidate”, another community leader added.
Chongneilam Kipgen, General Secretary, BJP Sadar Hills, Khageshor, President BJP Saitu Mandal, Laishram Joykumar, Advisor, AVBP (NE), who is also the Director of Feeds Group of Institutes Colleges, T.A John, intending candidate of ADC election from Mayangkhang DCC, M. Chungkhuhao Kom, Member, Namami Gange Project BJP Manipur, Thanglet Chongloi, chief of K. Lhangnom, Lamkholen Kipgen, chief of D. Phaihel, Paolung Chawang, Chairman, Laikhampokpi, Joy Bahadur, Koubru Laikha Nepali, Bonthoulung, ex-MDC, and many others leaders from various areas of Saitu also attended the function.
The executive member of BJP Manipur unit, Haokholet Kipgen, was a cabinet minister for two terms holding transport, and tribal development and hills portfolios, amongst others.
He had facilitated the successful implementation of several central and state government schemes in remote tribal villages in the hill districts of Manipur and as a result, a strong political support base was created which subsequently led to the election of seven candidates nominated by him from 51-Saitu AC in the ADC election in 2010.
Having a desire to contribute to state and national level policy making, he also went to Bangladesh as a member of the Government of India delegation on an entrepreneurs exchange program in Southeast Asia under the ‘Look East Policy’ of the Government of India.
A recipient of Lifetime Achievement Award from Balipara Foundation, Assam India, Haokholet Kipgen, who was also conferred CHAI Honorary Fellow 2021, Honored Fellow Award 2021, and Institutional Fellow Award 2021, established KVK for the time in the hill areas of Manipur in 2002 under ICAR, New Delhi, ORDC and EMRC under DST Govt. of India, Institute of Horticulture and Post-Harvest Technology at Hengbung in collaboration with AMITY University, Noida, FGI colleges of Agricultural Sciences, etc.
He was the forerunner in the ‘Mission of Peace and Reconciliation’, an ongoing effort to raise people consciousness of the quest for peace in the hill communities, focussing on community dialogue, forgiveness, and reconciliation of relationships, security promotion, promotion of social as culture reintegration, conflict resolution and conflict mediation mechanisms.
He is also the first to introduce the “women scientists scheme” in the Northeast where thirteen educated married women are engaged to perform and develop their skills, financed by DST Government of India.