Calcutta Telegraph: Imphal:
Sunday, April 28, 2013.
The Manipur
unit of the BJP today demanded the resignation of state parliamentary secretary
in-charge of youth affairs and sports, Mairenbam Prithviraj, in view of an
Election Commission inquiry into his alleged filing of a false affidavit with
nomin- ation papers.
Prithviraj
was elected from Moirang Assembly constituency in Bishnupur district on a
Congress ticket last year and was subsequently made a parliamentary secretary.
Immediately
after the election, Prithviraj’s rival, BJP candidate Sarat Singh, lodged a
complaint before the returning officer of the constituency, alleging that
Prithviraj’s claim in the affidavit of having passed his MBA from Mysore
University in 2003-04 was false.
BJP
spokesperson Yumnam Nilamani Singh today said after the returning officer
failed to take action, Sarat Singh sought information under the RTI Act.
According to
the information Sarat Singh received from the registrar of Mysore University,
Prithviraj’s name was not among the list of MBA students that year.
Sarat Singh
then approached the Imphal bench of Gauhati High Court, seeking the MLA’s
disqualification for filing a false affidavit.
Following a
directive of the high court, the Election Commission wrote to the returning
officer of Moirang on April 10 to investigate the matter.
The joint
chief electoral officer, N. Pravin, said the Election Commission wrote to the
returning officer through the state election office, directing him to inquire
into the matter.
The returning
officer is yet to submit his report.
Giving a
false affidavit while filing nomination papers violates the Peoples
Representation Act and the Constitution. Nilamani Singh said if Prithviraj
failed to step down, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh should sack him.
“The BJP is
ready to take the matter before the party’s national leaders and raise it in
Parliament if Prithviraj continues to hold the office during the inquiry,” he
added.
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