A day ahead of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor and Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s visit to Imphal on Wednesday, the National People’s Party (NPP), the BJP’s ally in Manipur’s ruling government, has clarified that it is not a “B”. Is. “Team for BJP.
“We have been very clear and stood our ground wherever we were needed. We have challenged the stand that the BJP has sometimes taken if it goes against our ideology and the interests of our people, our state and our region. Just because we work in alliance with them to tag as “B” team is completely wrong. We are very clear to strengthen the party and take the party forward,” said Meghalaya Chief Minister and NPP national president Conrad K Sangma.
In a press release, the NPP expressed its serious concern over the ongoing intimidation and abuse being targeted by several extremist organizations against the party and its candidates in various constituencies in Manipur on 9 February. Organizations like KNF-MC, KNF-Z, UKLF, KNA and HPC(D) have openly come out in support of our rival candidates from BJP and NPF, the release said.
“In 55-Tipaimukh constituency, activists of militant outfits HPC(D) are threatening voters and village heads to vote for BJP candidates. Under Suspension of Operation (SOO) underground groups like KNA and UKLF are threatening our party workers and village headmen to support BJP candidate Letpao Haokip in 42-Tengnaupal AC. In Tamenglong constituency, organizations under the SOO are campaigning vigorously for NPF and BJP candidates,” Sangma said.
“The organization has warned our party workers of dire consequences. On February 6, KNF-MC and KNF-Z leaders Paokholen Haokip, Jangkhonlum Haokip and Lunmang Haokip have threatened our workers and village headman to vote for Letzmang Haokip, the BJP candidate of 57-Hanglep AC,” he said.
“The members of the organization stopped six women NPP workers and two drivers at Lamden Kuki village and threatened to be shot if they campaigned for an NPP candidate. We have complained to the Chief Electoral Officer, Manipur State and the Election Commission of India about incidents of attacks and threats on our candidates. The present situation is an attempt to jeopardize the conduct of peaceful, free and fair elections in the state of Manipur,” Sangma said.
In his recent visit to Manipur, Konrad Sangma said that the NPP has fielded 43 candidates, which will be the single largest party in the 60-member Manipur Assembly and will lead the government after the elections to be held on February 27 and March 3. . With four MLAs, the NPP has been an ally of the BJP-led government in Manipur since 2017. Several senior BJP leaders including Ningthoujam Mangi, S Sowchandra, Lourembam Sanjay Singh and Thanjam Arunkumar recently joined the NPP after failing to get a berth. within his previous political affiliations.
Meanwhile, the convener of NEDA and the Chief Minister of Assam is in Manipur. Often regarded as the Chanakya of the Northeast, Dr Biswa Sarma will meet BJP leaders to finalize the election strategy. Significantly, in the 2017 elections, Dr Himanta Biswa Sarma played an important role in bringing BJP to power. His interaction with the NPP and bringing in more legislature party members from independent and smaller parties made the BJP its debut in Manipur. He not only helped the BJP spread its wings in the Northeast, but also denied an almost certain Congress to form its government.
“The politics of the Northeast today is inseparable from that of Himanta Biswa Sarma. He is in Imphal today to finalize the BJP’s electoral strategy. We are confident to make it on our own this time.
The NPP, which got four seats last time, will not pay the fare this time also. Their figures will be even lower. In the hill district, we will have a fair chance as the militancy has subsided and we have developed in the interior region of the state. The people of the state trust and want the BJP and who other than the Chief Minister of Assam can understand and heighten the sentiments of the people,” said senior BJP MLA from Assam Numal Momin, who is monitoring the BJP’s election preparations. For camping in Manipur.
It was during the mid-summer of 2020 for a BJP-led government and mainly for Chief Minister N Biren Singh, when four NPP legislators, including some ministers, decided to withdraw support to the government. At that time NEDA convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma and Sangma held several rounds of meetings with disgruntled MLAs and party officials in Imphal to heal the wounds and sail the BJP boat smoothly.
Meanwhile, Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, who is also the BJP Manipur in-charge, said, “The decision to choose the BJP’s chief ministerial candidate will be taken by the central leadership.” Like before in Assam, in Manipur too, the BJP has kept the name of its chief ministerial candidate on its chest.
Bhupendra Yadav, however, argued that the BJP-led government in the state has seen considerable improvement in his five-year tenure under Biren and that he is also leading the BJP Manipur in the upcoming election.
He said the actual campaign of the BJP would begin after the last day for the return of candidates, which is February 11 for the first phase and February 16 for the second phase.
On the delay in publishing BJP’s election manifesto, while most of its rival parties have done it, Bhupendra said, “We don’t want everything to go away in a jiffy. Unlike other political parties, our manifesto is being prepared in public interest by taking suggestions from CSOs, stakeholders, sportspersons, academicians among others.
The Union Minister emphasized that in this budget, the Central Government is focusing a lot on Manipur as it is a corridor to South-East Asia, with the provision of Sports Medicine for upgradation of RIMS to the tune of Rs 560 crore. There is information. He said that a new scheme named “PM Divine” with an allocation of Rs 1500 crore would be implemented through the North Eastern Council to fund the infrastructure in the spirit of PM Gatishakti.
Reflecting the true spirit of cooperative federalism, the central government has increased the outlay of the “Scheme for Financial Assistance to States for Capital Investment” from Rs 10,000 crore in the Budget Estimates to Rs 15,000 crore in the Revised Estimates for the current year, informed Bhupendra. Did Yadav.
Further, for 2022-23, the allocation to assist states in catalysing overall investment in the economy is Rs 1 lakh crore, he said, this way Manipur will get a very good share and benefit.
,