IMPHAL: Expressing confidence that the people of Manipur had welcomed the development programmes taken up by Congress in the past 15 years, chief minister Okram Ibobi Singh said he would comfortably retain power for the fourth consecutive term in the coming assembly election.
Political parties have already begun work for polls to the 60-member assembly to be held early next year. The key fight will be between the ruling Congress and opposition BJP and both parties have started rallying workers and wooing voters. On September 14, BJP president Amit Shah had addressed a mammoth booth-level workers meeting in Imphal.
“What has BJP done for the betterment of Manipur despite its two and a half years at the Centre?” the CM thundered during a high-level Mahila Congress campaign committee conference held here on Monday.
“BJP leaders have only announced welfare programmes for the region. Many Union ministers have come to Manipur and we, adhering to protocol, have welcomed them as state guests,” he said.
“We thought BJP would do something for the state but we have seen nothing. BJP leaders think people are fools,” he said, adding that the Congress government would use the little resources given to them by the Centre with ‘utmost care’ for the welfare of the people.
With the recent entry of four Trinamool Congress legislators into Congress, the latter has a whopping 51 MLAs in the assembly. BJP has two legislators and Nationalist Congress Party and Lok Janshakti Party have one each. Five seats are currently vacant after the speaker accepted the resignation of four MLAs from Naga People’s Front and one (Yumkham Erabot) from Congress. Erabot, an old rival of Ibobi Singh, joined BJP.
News Source: Times of India