IMPHAL,Feb 15 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit poll-bound Manipur on February 25 to address an election rally at the historic Kangla Fort in Imphal, said BJP MP and Manipur in-charge Prahlad Singh Patel here on Wednesday.
Patel informed this to media while releasing a video album for BJP election campaign at the party office here. He said Modi will address an election rally at Kangla Fort as scheduled. BJP has fielded candidates for all 60 assembly seats of the State in the upcoming polls which are set to take place in two phases on March 4 and 8. The main contenders in the polls will be the ruling Congress and BJP.
To a media query, Prahlad Singh Patel rejected the report that the BJP had offered Rs 36 crore and a party ticket to rights activist Irom Sharmila. The iconic hunger striker had reportedly alleged recently that the saffron party offered her a ticket along with Rs 36 crore to use in her campaign, which triggered a controversy.
“The accusation was a political propaganda spread by the Congress. The matter has been brought to the notice of Election Commission,” Patel said.
Sharmila will take on the three-time Congress Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh in Thoubal in the polls. She will contest for the seat on the ticket of People’s Resurgence and Justice Alliance (PRJA).
Sharmila had said that a few months back a state BJP leader approached her to make the offer which she had refused.
The Iron Lady of Manipur ended her 16-year-old fast, she had launched to demand repeal of Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, to join electoral politics and continue her crusade against AFSPA.
Source: The Sangai Express
