IMPHAL, Mar 5: Apart from being one-sided, BJP is habituated to telling lies and such a party of liars would never flourish in Manipur, asserted Chief Minister Okram Ibobi.
The Chief Minister was speaking at election rallies of Congress candidates in Lilong AC and Heirok AC Alhaz Md Abdul Nasir and Moirangthem Okendro respectively.
While a flag hoisting ceremony of Md Nasir was held today at Lilong Chaobok Mairenkhun within Lilong AC, a political conference of M Okendro was held at Salungpham Mayai Leikai public ground within Heirok AC.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi was telling lies in his attempt to befool the people of Manipur by claiming that BJP, if elected to power, can accomplish in 15 months what the Congress Government could not in 15 years, said the Chief Minister.
In his election rally at Imphal, AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi was stating that the State’s economy can be augmented considerably if pineapple and lemon juices are exported from Manipur to foreign countries. But BJP leaders manipulated the same statement and wrongly reported that Rahul Gandhi was talking about coconut water. Such manipulation only exposed how much BJP leaders are habituated to telling lies, Ibobi asserted while addressing the flag hoisting ceremony.
BJP has been claiming that they would form the next Government in Manipur for they had already formed Governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Manipur is quite different from the two North Eastern States and BJP’s hope or expectation is nothing short of building castles in the air.
BJP has been following a sinister strategy to incite fratricidal wars by allotting party tickets to close relatives of Congress candidates, Ibobi stated while citing the cases of Bishnupur AC and Wangkhem AC.
Assembly elections are going on in five States and the biggest State is Uttar Pradesh with over 400 seats.
Asking whether BJP allotted their tickets to any Muslim candidate in UP, Ibobi stated that Congress has been fielding three Muslim candidates in Manipur and all of them would emerge victorious.
Publication of big advertisements in media, extensive campaign using vans fitted with audio-vidual propaganda equipment and desperate campaigning by many Union Ministers cannot ensure BJP’s victory in Manipur.
“As for Congress party, we requested Central leaders not to join the party’s election campaign in the State. However, in response to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s election rally at Imphal, we invited AICC vice-president Sonia Gandhi. Union Ministers’ visits to the State have turned out to be a farce”, Ibobi ridiculed.
The new districts were created for administrative convenience, not in favour of any community or against another community, Ibobi stated while questioning BJP’s vehement opposition against the same move.
At Salungpham Mayai Leikai, Ibobi stated that some Imphal-based daily newspaper firms have landed in trouble for publishing BJP’s election-related advertisements at the false assurance of BJP even though those advertisements required approval of the ECI.
Informing that the ECI has issued a directive to register an FIR and book publishers/Editors of the newspaper firms by Monday, the Chief Minister asserted that BJP needs to be taught a befitting lesson for duping the newspaper firms.
At the same time, people need to be always wary of such a party.
BJP cannot see or think beyond a single community in total contradiction to Congress party’s ideology of secularism. If such a political party is allowed to grow any further, India will break down into multiple pieces and there would be no Manipur, Ibobi cautioned.
Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam reiterated that the ongoing election is a crucial battle between pro-Manipur and anti-Manipur forces.
People may vote for BJP if they don’t mind fragmentation of Manipur into several pieces otherwise people need to vote for Congress party.
Claiming that the Congress Government has been implementing several development projects across the hills and valley of Manipur uniformly, Gaikhangam maintained that Congress party’s has fulfilled 90 per cent of the promises it made to the people of Manipur.
The propaganda floated by a handful of people that the hill areas have been neglected is a blatant lie. There are many infrastructure and changes in hill districts which were not there 15 years back.
NSCN-IM and their associates are one principal adversary of the people of Manipur. Their main objective is disintegration of Manipur and they are working hand in gloves with BJP, Gaikhangam asserted.
Pointing out that the June 18 event in which 18 people lost their lives and Manipur was literally put on flames was during the tenure of BJP Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, the Deputy Chief Minister remarked that the Centre’s BJP Government is unable to give convincing reply to the people of Manipur regarding the Framework Agreement it signed with NSCN-IM.
The Central Government’s refusal or inability to disclose the details of the agreement indicates that it contains something inimical to the collective interest of Manipur, he stated.
The ongoing indefinite economic blockade is being imposed by the UNC at the behest of BJP and NSCN-IM.
“It was during the run up to the ongoing election that I heard that BJP took money from intending candidates for allotment of party tickets”, Gaikhangam continued.
It only indicated how corrupt BJP is, he remarked.
Commerce and Industries Minister Govindas Konthoujam, Environment and Forest Minister I Hemochandra, MP Dr T Meinya, MLA N Loken and many MPCC leaders also took part in the flag hoisting ceremony and the election rally.
Source: The Sangai Express
