As Manipur gears up for the 12th state Assembly Elections, major political parties in the state are leaving no stone unturned to woo voters and sling mud at each other and indulge in blame game for the present state situation. Both the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress party termed its other "anti-development".
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the state on Monday and alleged that in the last 70 years, the Congress government neglected Manipur and other Northeastern states, which reflects the “anti-development and anti-Northeast” Mindset of the Congress.
"After the formation of the government at the Centre, Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a pledge that we will provide good road, rail and air connectivity to every Northeastern state. It took almost 75 years of independence to reach rail connectivity to Manipur. For the first time our PM Narendra Modi has done the work of giving rail connectivity to Manipur," Singh said.
Singh maintained that both the 'face' and 'future' of Northeast are changing rapidly since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over the reins of India.
Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhoumik, also in Manipur, said during a public meeting held at Keirenphabi, Bishnupur district that the Congress party created "gross devastation" in Manipur during its 15-year tenure. "During those 15 years, the people of Manipur witnessed total unrest, with numerous alleged fake encounter cases, bandhs and blockade and corruption cases... however, Manipur has started witnessing a peaceful and progressive life in the five-year rule of the BJP-led government, with zero fake encounter cases and zero days of blockade… It is the BJP which always stands for the rights and works for the welfare of the public… Let us not make the mistake of re-electing Congress candidates,” she said.
The minister also said that where there is BJP, there will be development and peace. "Going together with the BJP is the same as going with success. Those unfaithful former BJP ticket contenders who left the BJP and joined the Congress and other parties are like moving towards the end of their career," she added.
She recalled that renaming of Mt Harriet into Mt Manipur in honour of the unsung war heroes of Manipur and the extending of ILPS in Manipur by the BJP-led government led by Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah is the BJP’s biggest gift to the people of Manipur.
Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Youth Affairs and Sports Kiren Rijiju also said that Manipur has enough potential to move ahead to development, but due to having an inconsistent government in the past decades, the state is lagging behind. He was speaking at the flag hoisting ceremony of Patsoi AC BJP candidate Sapam Keba at Tera Sapam Leirak in Imphal West.
Rijiju said that “The BJP-led government has given maximum efforts to lift the state and if the BJP continue to rule for another five years Manipur will surely witness great positive changes”.
Pointing out the need to have a BJP MLA in a constituency for speedy development and highlighting the various developmental works taken up by the BJP, he asked the people of Patsoi AC to not lose the opportunity of electing a representative from the BJP to make a progressive constituency.
Meanwhile, Manipur Congress Working Committee (CWC) member Gaikhangam accused the present BJP government of depriving people of their democratic and constitutional rights and termed it “anti-people and anti-development” party.
Gaikhangam, who is also an INC candidate of Nungba assembly constituency, was speaking at the flag hoisting ceremony of Indian National Congress (INC) candidate Lhingkim Haokip of Saikul assembly constituency at her Koirengei residence, Imphal East on Monday.
He said that the present period is crucial for people as they are going to choose their representatives. People should be cautious in casting their votes to choose the right candidate and right political party which could bring progress for the people, he added.
This election is the right time to give a befitting response to the present government, as the present BJP government is not an inclusive government but an exclusive government that is a government under the interest of some people, he said. People should utilise this opportunity wisely during the time of election in order to bid farewell to the present BJP government, he added.
