Imphal, October 6: Urging the people of Hiyanglam to vote for the BJP candidate in the bye-poll if they desire change, the Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiran Rijiju has stated that the Central government would not be able to help the State developed if it doesn`™t have BJP MLAs.
Speaking at the flag hoisting function of the BJP candidate Maibam Dhanabir at his residence in Hiyanglam, the Union Minister said, `Manipur has a lot of potential for Tourism, Sports, Art and Culture, Handlooms and Handicrafts but still lags far behind in development as it can`™t tap its naturally endowed potential. Roads here as in the rest of Manipur are in deplorable conditions even though the Works minister is from a neighbouring contistuencuy.`
Pointing out that Manipur lacks good leaders and politicians, Rijiju said the first step towards filling that void would be to elect the BJP candidate in the bye-poll.
If the BJP candidate succeeds in the election, the NDA government will provide a big package for the Hiyanglam Assembly Constituency, he said, adding that he would then deliver a message to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that an era of change has begun in Manipur.
Special schemes, independent of those of the State government, for housing, roads and social welfare will be provided to Hiyanglam, he said. Now, the Union government is wary of sanctioning funds to Manipur because 40 percent of the funds meant for development in Manipur are siphoned off by the government and it can`™t provide utilization certificates, the Union Minister added.
Rijiju said that people must not assume that Maibam Dhanabir will be alone after being elected from Hiyanglam as he has the support of all the BJP MPs and Union Ministers. Manipur is known as a corrupt State because there are no BJP MLAs in the Manipur Assembly and the Congress party is indulging in corrupt practices without any opposition, he added.
Empathising with the underground groups as everyone knows how and why the young people choose to pick up guns in the State, he appealed the UG groups to join the mainstream as there is a new government at the Centre.
` If the UGs join the mainstream, the Union government will provide them rehabilitation, re-employment, social security etc and I am promising these on behalf of Prime Minister Narendra Modi`, the Union minister said.
Stressing that crimes in the State would not affect the government in Delhi but would create chaos only for the people of Manipur, Rijiju assured that they are secure under the government of PM Narendra Modi as he has now emerged as the greatest political leader in the world.
The vision plan of a clean India by 2019 doesn`™t mean just clean roads, homes, cities and minds but also include cleaning up of corrupt practices, he said adding,` the most important thing is that if BJP candidate Maibam Dhanabir is defeated then it means that the changes being made in India will not reach Manipur. So, Manipur needs at least a BJP candidate first and then a government.`
History is a witness that the Sport University is being provided to Manipur by Narendra Modi. The Sport University is not a simple stadium of sports but a university where research in the field of sports will be done and after establishing this university thousands of unemployed youths could be provided with jobs, he said.
He added that last month, the NDA government has sanctioned more than Rs 6000 Crores for improving the telephone network connection in Northeast India.
`Recently, Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari handed the responsibility of reviewing the condition of roads in the Northeastern states to me. Various officials of the related departments of the State government will be asked to attend a meeting in Delhi to review the conditions of the Jiribam-Imphal and Kohima-Imphal road till Moreh very soon,` the Union Minister said.
Assuring that he will visit the State either in November or December to inspect the Imphal to Moreh road and other roads in various districts of Manipur, he said he will visit Hiyanglam again during that visit with a development package especially for the people of Hiyanglam if Maibam Dhanabir is elected as an MLA from Hiyanglam.
He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi will later accompany him with a huge package of development and will announce the package to the people of Manipur.