In a move that will come as a pleasant surprise to many people in the country, the clean India campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has got the backing of a militant outfit in troubled Manipur. The outlawed Maoist Communist Party of Manipur (MCPM) has decided to launch a campaign “Clean Manipur, Grow Green with Revolutionary Path” from the end of this month with a mission to ensure cleanliness in the tiny North-Eastern State.
A breakaway faction of the Kangleipak Communist Party (KCP) formed the MCPM in 2011 and amended its constitution in accordance with Marxism-leninism-Maoism and decided to take up M-l-M as the party’s guiding ideology. The MCPM aims to establish a communist society through armed revolutionary war with other Maoist revolutionary parties in other parts of the country.
A statement issued by the MCPM publicity and propaganda secretary, Nonglen Meitei said: “We have chosen December 30 as the date to commemorate the escape of Sapamcha Kangleipal from jail in Manipur.” Meitei added that the cleanliness drive will first begin from Imphal and then it would be spread to the whole of the State.
Kangleipal led the Manipur Forward Youth Front (MAFYF), a youth organisation working for democratic rights and peace in Manipur. The 27-year-old organised a peace march in April 2008 for
15 days through Imphal East, Imphal West, Bishunpur, Churchandrapur, Thoubal and Ukhrul in which about 600 youths participated. later the State Government arrested him in May 2008 under the National Security Act. In December 2008, however, the young leader escaped from police custody.
Taking up cudgels against the unsanitary conditions prevailing in Imphal, the MCPM also accused the Imphal Municipal Council of not doing its duty properly and alleged that the council has been embezzling huge amounts of money meant for cleaning Imphal city.
The organisation also hailed Kangleipal and said that he played an important role as a leader of the youth organisation working for peace in the conflict-ridden State. “The MAFYF, as a youth organisation had taken on a revolutionary role in shaping the future of Manipur. MAFYF had also launched struggles against human rights violation committed by the security forces in the State,” he said.
In the past, the MAFYF which also works to highlight problems faced by the youth and other key issues related to them, had taken out drives against drug abuse and took up humanitarian work like organising medical camps in far-flung areas of Manipur.