The dropping of the lone woman minister from the council of ministers by chief minister N Biren Singh triggered a protest in Kangpokpi district of Manipur on Friday.
Hundreds of protestors, mostly womenfolk who staged the protest at Nute Kailhang (Women Market) at Kangpokpi district headquarter termed the chief minister’s act as “annihilating women empowerment and opportunity”.
The protestors also burnt the effigy of chief minister N Biren Singh to register their strong resentment against the removal of the lone woman minister.
Nemcha Kipgen, who is not only a woman MLA in Manipur but also the only cabinet minister incharge of the Social Welfare and Cooperation department, was removed from the council of ministers on Thursday. She was elected on a BJP ticket from Kangpokpi Assembly constituency in the 2017 elections to the state Assembly.
Meanwhile, the protestors alleged that women empowerment which the BJP was only talking about is only on table. “The removal of the only woman minister was the concrete evidence to prove it”, they added.
Leaders and representatives of various women based civil society organisations based in the district took part in the protest.
Earlier, the Thadou Inpi, general headquarters, has condemned the dropping of the lone woman minister from the council of ministers. The Thadou Inpi demanded that the woman minister be re-instated. The Thadou body also said that Nemcha “has brought lots of development to the district in particular and the State as a whole”.