Imphal, July 09, 2010: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) team led by opposition leader in the Lok Sabha, before departure for the national capital today, promised that what the party can do as Opposition will be shown by moving Manipur issue as calling attention motions in both the Houses of the Parliament.

The four member BJP Central team led by Sushma Swaraj arrived in Imphal yesterday on a two-day visit to take stock of the prevailing situation of shortage of essential commodities as a consequent to the prolonged economic blockade on the national highways.

The team left for New Delhi today.

The issue of the state would be raised in both the houses of Parliament in the ensuing session beginning from the last week of this month.

Addressing reporters here at the office of the BJP state unit before leaving Imphal, the Opposition leader, Sushma Swaraj said, "We have decided to raise the issue in both the Houses of Parliament in the ensuing session.

The issue will be raised by Bijoya Chakraborty in the Lok Sabha while Chandan Mitra and SS Ahluwalia will raise it in the Rajya Sabha".

"We are with the people of Manipur.

That is why we came here to take stock of the situation first hand.

We know that Congress leaders neglected the people of the state," she said criticising the Congress-led UPA government at the Centre and the SPF government in Manipur of not taking up welfare schemes for the people in the state and address the plight of the people who have been facing a lot of hardship.

With regard to the issue of territorial boundary of the state, she said "the BJP's stand is very clear." Without the consensus of the state, the boundary of a state cannot be altered or redrawn.

She also slammed the SPF government in Manipur as highly corrupted and running the government under the mercy of the underground outfits and has been paying extortion money to them for their survival.

During the team's sojourn in the state capital since yesterday, the BJP leaders held separate meetings with around 100 public leaders and NGOs, including five Naga MLAs, who had submitted their resignation papers from MLA-ship to the Speaker of Manipur Legislative Assembly, and UNC members.

The Naga leaders in Manipur did not raise any issue related with the demand for Greater Nagaland, Opposition leader Sushma Swaraj told reporters here today asserting that they raised issues related to the rectification of Manipur (Hill areas) District Council Act, 2008 and proportionate representation of the hill people in the state Assembly among others.

Deputy leader of the Raijya Sabha, SS Ahluwalia, talking to reporters, expressed concern over the acute shortage of essential commodities and petroleum products.

He criticized the government for not taking up appropriate measures to ensure availability of essential items to the common people.

"The private vehicles don't want to go on the NH 39 even after economic blockade has been lifted.

But the government can arrange other means to procure the items by engaging vehicles from outside the state or using Army vehicles.

This does not happen in Manipur," he lamented.

As a party in the opposition "We will raise the issue in the Parliament so that the government is compelled to alleviate the woes of the people.

It is our duty to raise the plight of the common people but to translate it into action is upto the government," he said.

Chandan Mitra, member of the Raijya Sabha, lamented that "the worse case of negligence of the Central government is Manipur." He expressed surprise over the fact that the Centre hardly takes any initiative when the people of Manipur are thrown into the jaws of death as the prices of goods are far beyond the affordable limit of the common people.

Would the Prime Minister and the Home Minister remain sitting in the national capital when such conditions prevail in other states like Jammu and Kashmir, he asked strongly criticizing the Congress leaders.