Congress, BJP campaigns heat up in Manipur

Imphal, Feb 24: A number of Union Ministers, besides the chief minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal, has been on election campaign for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidates across Manipur for the state’s 11th state assembly elections scheduled to be held on March 4 and the 8th.
On the eve of the prime minister’s election address in poll-bound Manipur, Union Minister of home affairs (state) Kiren Rijiju reached here on Friday to join the campaign for the party at Karong and Phungyar constituencies in Senapati and Ukhrul districts.
Union Human Resource Development Minister Prakash Javadekar, who is the party’s in-charge for the Manipur elections, is also presently camping in Imphal for the past couple of days while Union Railways Minister of state Rajen Gohain attended a flag hoisting ceremony at Thongju constituency in Imphal east district on Friday. Minister Gohain also addressed an election rally at some of the key constituencies of the BJP as done by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal. On Friday, Sonowal addressed a flag-hoisting ceremony of BJP candidate L Radhakishore in Oinam constituency. He alleged that the ruling Congress government in the state had failed to address the grievances of the people of Manipur during the past 15 years.
Union Minister of Development of North Eastern Region Jitendra Singh also assured a bandh and blockade-free Manipur while speaking at another BJP candidate K Krishna of Bishnupur constituency’s election rally at Bishnupur.
In another development, Manipur Chief Minister Ibobi said that equal development of both the hill and valley area was the priority of the Congress. It has been doing so by expanding the road and communication activities considering it as backbone of development, it was claimed.
“But it is not easy to govern such a small state having full of issues and problems. Even the north east region and the country may not have such issues and problems,” Ibobi said. “It needs fullest support to resolve such issues and problems.”
The chief minister also appealed to all the armed groups operating across the state to realize that ‘we’re all sons of the soil and we’ll have to die here. If we make mistakes we should have the courage to say sorry and issues can be resolved and solved.’
In another flag hoisting ceremony for Congress candidate Dr I Ibohalbi Singh of Oinam constituency in Manipur’s Bishnupur district, he also claimed that the people of Manipur have their own stand unlike “the changes” in two NE states.