IMPHAL: Setting aside political inhibitions, Manipur's first BJP-led government will honour the state's Communist icon, Hijam Irawat , by erecting his statue near the assembly complex here.Announcing this on Thursday, chief minister Biren Singh said, "The state cabinet has decided to install the statue of Irawat. He was not a Communist leader, but a leader of the entire state."Born on September 30, 1896, Irawat was one of the founders of the undivided Communist Party of India (CPI) in Manipur. In 1946, he contested the Assam Provincial Legislative Assembly election from Silchar (Assam) as a CPI candidate, but lost by a narrow margin. In 1948, a year before Manipur joined the Indian Union, he won the Utlou seat as a Manipur Krishak Sabha candidate . Aware of possible criticism from his detractors, Singh said all successive governments in Manipur have observed Irawat's birth anniversary as a state holiday. He added, "It is an accepted fact that he has made immense contribution to Manipur."The CPI, too, has planned a month-long celebration to mark the 121st birth anniversary of Irawat , a multi-faceted personality who composed poems, wrote for newspapers, worked for the poor and the deprived and excelled in sporting arenas.

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