Newmai News Network
Imphal | February 5
The recently formed Congress-led pre-poll alliance of six parties was christened as Manipur Progressive Secular Alliance (MPSA). While christening as MPSA, the alliance also released its 18-point common minimum programme for the ensuing two-phase elections to the Manipur Assembly.
The six parties – Congress, CPI, CPM, RSP, Forward Bloc and JD-S – recently announced the pre-poll alliance with the main agenda of preventing the BJP from coming to power again in Manipur.
Among others, the 18-point programme of the alliance included to protect the preamble of the Constitution which guarantees India as a sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic, republic and secures to all citizens justice, equality, and liberty of thought, expression, belief, faith, and worship and to protect the federal structure of India as a Union of states.
It included protecting the civil liberties and democratic freedoms of all sections of the society and preserving, protecting and promoting communal harmony and peace in the state, while securing the territorial integrity of Manipur and its historical boundaries.
To bring about a sustainable economic growth in the next five years to deliver economic justice ensuring livelihood income to every family, to enact Right to Free Healthcare Law to benefit citizens of the economically weaker section and to provide unemployment allowance to the youth were also included in the minimum programme.
The alliance promised to deliver effective welfare schemes for the poor, workers in the unorganized sector and assures a secure future for their families.
To make Manipur self-sufficient in rice production, guarantee procurement of farmers’ produce, and to ensure that one-crop farmers become two-crop and three-crop farmers in the next five years is also another pledge of the newly formed alliance.
It promised to fight against the drug menace by implementing the law without fear or favour, and endeavour to bring its victims on the path to normalcy, to empower women economically and politically and to give free public transport to working women, girl child and school students.
The alliance also pledged that it will fulfill the democratic aspirations of all regions and all people of the state and ensure the full implementation of Article 371 (C) of the Constitution.
The MPSA then stated that it solemnly pledged to the people of Manipur that “if we receive majority mandate in the coming 2022 state Assembly elections, we shall deliver the above agenda in letter and spirit, and ensure an accountable, responsible, responsive, and transparent government.”
