Imphal, January 23: A day after the Congress party released its election manifesto; BJP today claimed that Congress is "at its deceptive best" and appealed to the people to be extra careful to defend themselves from the danger of being led away from hard facts of outstanding issues of Manipur.

In a hard hitting statement, BJP said that statements and speeches at the Congress manifesto releasing function reeks of "Holier than Thou Attitude".

Picking on Mani Shankar Aiyer who has said in "Statehood-bedrock of Naga society" that emotion and sentiments of the people have a strange way of hiding facts, the party charged that Aiyer is trying to rake up sentiments of the people for electoral gains in Manipur.

Is it anything short of pure hypocrisy or is it the Congress culture as usual.

On the Congress claim that when it relinquished power in Manipur, the fiscal deficit was only Rs 50 cr but rose to Rs 500 crs after a few years, BJP charged that the Congress opened the account of fiscal deficit in the State and it increased because of the momentum of the trend they have set.

The BJP or the local parties have nothing to do with this taking note of the fact that the Congress was in power in Manipur as well as at the Centre most of the time since Independence, the statement said.

Regarding the cease-fire issue, BJP said Manmohon Singh and Mani Shankar Aiyer should know better that the cease-fire extension was not a threat to the territorial integrity of Manipur, even if the sentiments of the people was otherwise.

It reminded that there was cease-fire extension in 1964 too during the Congress rule both in State and the Centre and asked whether Manipur was disintegrated then.

When Jharkhand, Uttaranchal and Chattisgarh broke away from Bihar, UP and MP, was there any extension of cease-fire in those States? Do Congress leaders need to be reminded that reorganization of State boundaries is possible only under Article 3 of the Constitution, the party asked.

BJP further said if Congress thinks the issue is related with territorial integrity of Manipur, and if cares about it, why did Nagaland Chief Minister SC Jamir welcome the extension.

On the other hand Pandit Nehru and Congress are associated with the loss of Kabo Valley, it said and added imposition of PR and mid term poll in Manipur are the demands of Congress.

Stating that highway protection force for the two National Highways is also in BJP's agenda, the party said here Congress is in a better position to order the Congress ruled Nagaland Government to end the harassment of Manipuri drivers by police in Nagaland and Assam.