Manipur Assembly pays obituary reference to 15 leaders, including former PM Manmohan Singh
Imphal (PTI): The Manipur Assembly on Monday paid obituary reference to 15 leaders who had passed away in 2025 and 2026.
Both ruling and opposition party leaders participated in the obituary reference to pay solemn tributes to the departed leaders, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, two sitting MLAs Vungzagin Valte and N Kayisii and former ministers.
Chief Minister Y Khemchand Singh told the House, "The passing away of former prime minister Manmohan Singh is a great loss to the nation."
The CM also paid obituary references to Valte, who died last month in a private hospital in Gurugram. He said, "Vungzagin Valte passed away due to injuries sustained in an unfortunate incident. His passing away deeply affects us."
The session was also attended by deputy chief minister Nemcha Kipgen, BJP MLAs LM Khaute, N Sanate and Kuki Peoples' Alliance MLA Kimneo Hangshing attended the session "virtually", officials said.
The Manipur Assembly session, which resumed on Monday, will end on March 17. It will have seven sittings and will see the presentation of budget estimates for 2026-27, presentation of supplementary demand for grants 2025-26 and presentation of business advisory committee report, amongst others.
A previous one-day session was held on February 5, a day after Y Khemchand Singh was sworn in as the chief minister of the state.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
SP has ended contract with I-PAC due to fund constraints: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said his party has severed its association with the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) due to a lack of funds.
He dismissed speculations that the termination of contract was because of recent election results.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said the party had engaged I-PAC for a brief period ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections but could not continue the arrangement.
"Yes, we had an association. They worked with us for a few months, but we are not able to continue because we do not have that kind of funding," he said.
The I-PAC is a political consultancy firm known for managing major election campaigns across the country.
Election strategist-turned-politician Prashant Kishor has also been associated with the organisation in the past and has worked with multiple parties, including the BJP and the Congress.
In a lighter vein, Yadav took a swipe at the ecosystem of political consultancies. "We thought that if we have to work with a 'winning agency', then there are several big companies."
He said that some people suggested conducting surveys, hiring another firm, keeping a social media company, and even engaging agencies for negative campaigning against other parties.
"There are one or two more companies whose names are not yet known. I can get those for you as well," Yadav said.
Yadav rejected the suggestion that the decision to end the deal was influenced by recent election outcomes in states such as West Bengal.
"There is no such thing. Do not ask questions based on baseless reports. That is not true," he said.
"This is not the reason for ending the agreement. We simply do not have enough funds. If you (the media) give us funds, we can hire another company," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
