Manipur’s nonagenarian parliamentarian Rishang Keishing of the Congress party has decided to quit active politics. His term as a Rajya Sabha member ends next month.
One of the oldest parliamentarians in the world, Keishing (94) has been a politician for the past 7 decades. He represented the Socialist Party and was first elected as a member of parliament representing Manipur in 1952 in the first general elections post independence. He joined the Congress party in 1962.
Born in Ukhrul district of Manipur, he graduated from the St. Paul’s Cathedral Mission College in Kolkata. Beginning his career as a school teacher, Keishing rose to become the chief minister of Manipur four times. Keishing belongs to the Tangkhul Naga tribe in Manipur. He has also served as Speaker of the Manipur Assembly and Minister several times. There have several assassination attempts on him. Some of his security personnel have been killed in such incidents.
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He has established the Rishang Keishing Foundation for Management of Tribal Affairs in 1998, which focuses on conserving oil, water management and control shifting cultivation.