A BJP govt will turn around Manipur in 15 months: Modi

Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, February 25

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday promised to turn around the fortunes of backward and problem-plagued state of Manipur if the BJP was voted to power in the state in the forthcoming Assembly election replacing the 15-year-old “corrupt and inefficient” Congress government headed by Chief Minister Okram Ibobi Singh.

Addressing a BJP election rally in Imphal in the presence of senior BJP leaders, including Prakash Javadekar, Jitendra Singh, Ram Madhab, Kiren Rijiju and Himanta Bishwa Sarma, the Prime Minister said, “You have given 15 years to the Congress which has failed to bring about development in all spheres and succeeded only in keeping the people of Manipur divided for narrow political gains. You elect the BJP for the next five years and I promise to turn around the fortunes of Manipur in 15 months. We will do in 15 months what the Congress government has failed to do even in 15 years.”

Lambasting the ruling Congress for spreading canards about the “framework of agreement” signed with Naga rebel group NSCN-IM, Modi said, “There is no mention in the agreement about disturbing the territorial integrity of Manipur.  I can assure you that the agreement has nothing that goes against the interests of Manipur.”

“The agreement was signed over 18 months back and I had written a letter to Congress leaders about the content of the agreement. Why the Congress government in Manipur has been silent all along after signing of the agreement,” Modi said.

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He slammed the Ibobi Singh government for “inciting one community against the other for narrow political gains” and “allowing the highway blockade” called by Nagas to continue to get mileage out of it during election.

“On the one hand, the Congress government is inciting people of Manipur against Nagas for the blockade, which has caused immense misery to the common man; on the other, they have been paying those calling the blockade to continue with it,” Modi alleged and promised to wipe out the culture of blockade in Manipur if the BJP was voted to power.

Calling Ibobi Singh a 10 per cent (commission) chief minister, the Prime Minister called upon the people to elect the BJP for facilitating 100 per cent development. “Choose the party (BJP) for 100 per cent development instead of the 10 per cent chief minister,” Modi said in a well-attended rally that was held under tight security.

He blamed the state government for being a hurdle in the path of setting up the sports university in Manipur as granted by the BJP government at the Centre. Besides promising all-round development, uninterrupted power, better health care and education facilities, the Prime Minister promised to strive for promoting organic farming in the state, which he described as “Switzerland of the East”.

To eliminate “rampant corruption in recruitment to government jobs in Manipur”, Modi promised to do away with the practice of interviewing job aspirants in Manipur as per the new norms laid down by the Central government.