IMPHAL, SEPTEMBER 14: After spectacular victory in Assam, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to make inroad to strategically crucial state of Manipur which will go to assembly polls early next year.
For this, BJP national president Amit Shah, accompanied by Union HRD Minister Prakash Javadekar, BJP general secretary Ram Madhav, MP Prahalad Singh Patel besides Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma who is key functionary of Non-Congress parties’ alliance-North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), arrived here on a two-day visit to kick-start the election campaign in the poll bound Manipur.
Soon after their arrival at Imphal International Airport, BJP chief escorted by around 200 motorists of BJP State Yuva Morcha drove straight to Hotel Imphal where he was warmly welcomed by Maila Morcha in a traditional way.
Later, BJP president Amit Shah addressing a mammoth gathering at the state level booth Karyakartas Sammelan at Hafta Kangjeibung ground here, alleged that the Sonia-Manmohan Congress government in the last 10 years had spoiled the then NDA’s brainchild DoNER ministry for the NE region.
But the BJP is reviving it. Now no one needs visit DoNER in Delhi. The ministry of DoNER will come to you, he added. Stating that youth of Manipur has a lot of potential, but nothing has been moved forward for the establishment of National Sports University in the region, he said and also assured that Manipur’s boundary will not be altered an inch.
Alleging that central schemes and projects failed to reach to the people because of the corrupt government, he also appealed to the mammoth gathering to replace the ruling Congress government with BJP in next year’s election to bring development.
In his speech, NEDA’s key man Himanta Biswas alleged that Congress government in Manipur is so corrupt that the government jobs are selling like commodities in the market. Recalling the Assam episode where Congress was thrown out of power in the last assembly election, Hemanta also appealed to the people of Manipur to bring BJP in power to ensure jobs without any a single rupee.
Union HRD Minister who was recently appointed as in charge of assembly polls in Manipur, former Union sports Minister Th Chaoba, BJP Manipur president Ksh Bhabananda, two BJP MLAs and others also spoke during the Sammelan which was attended by more than 30,000 booth level party workers.
In poll bound Manipur which will go to poll early next year, Congress has been in power for the last 15 years and BJP which has only two members in the house of 60, is working towards putting up a strong fight with more seasoned politicians joining the party.
On Monday, prominent Congress leader and former minister Y Erabot joins the party which made inroads in the recent Imphal Municipal Corporation polls, winning 10 out of 27 seats, with the ruling Congress winning 12.In fact BJP is the only party in the state that can take on the Congress, which has been ruling the state for three consecutive terms.