Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, November 07 2009:
Reacting to the counter-charges made by the SPF against BJP Zonal Organising Secretary Chandrasekhar Rao in response to his allegation of corruption and misgovernance by Chief Minister O Ibobi, the BJP Manipur Pradesh compared SPF Government's seven year rule to the dark period of Seven Years' Desertation in Manipur history.
A press release issued by BJP Manipur Pradesh, Organisation and Media Affairs Secretary Laimayum Basanta questioned whether the incumbent Govt should not be held responsible for the number of innocent people killed during its rule.
It pointed out that acts of hurling bombs at hospitals, lifting vehicles from Bazar area, killing university teacher and intimidating people by security personnel were committed within the seven years of Ibobi's rule.
Questioning whether any of those security personnel committing such crimes and caught red-handed by people were ever terminated from service or booked under NSA, the BJP Manipur Pradesh asked if good government meant arresting innocent social activists and students under NSA for staging democratic forms of protest agitation.
Okram Ibobi was the first Chief Minister of Manipur who lied in the sacred Assembly House, it said.
Recalling that the June 18 movement of 2001 broke out during President's Rule, not under BJP or NDA Govt, it alleged that root cause of the movement was the 'appeasement policy' followed by Congress over a prolonged period.
As regards the allegation of not sanctioning salaries for State employees during the time of NDA Government, the BJP Manipur Pradesh asserted that salaries should be paid by the State from its own revenue sources and not by the Central Government.
It is hardly a month when Government teachers burnt a Government office for not giving salaries before Ningol Chakkouba, it reminded.
It reminded that it was time of Atal Behari Vajpayee's NDA Government that a separate ministry of the Development of North East Region (DoNER) was established.
With the allocation of 10 percent from the whole annual plan amount of the country to DoNER at the initiative of the NDA Government, the North East region started making remarkable strides towards development.
The development works being undertaken by the SPF Government is from the 10 percent of the country's plan amount allocated to DoNER, the BJP claimed.
The SPF Government should be thankful to the NDA for enacting anti-defection law which is instrumental in keeping a stable Government.
Th Chaoba, the lone BJP MP from Manipur, was made a Minister under NDA Government but the UPA Government led by Congress is not giving any ministerial berth to any MP from Manipur even though all three of them are Congress MP's.This is Congress party's insult to the people of Manipur, the BJP alleged.
It further accused the SPF Government of concentrating development activities in Thoubal, Khangabok and Sugnu only.
A PIL will be filed against some Ministers involved in corruption in addition to Chief Minister O Ibobi, it said.
The BJP Manipur Pradesh also appealed to the SPF Government to work out a solution and bring back the students presently boycotting class to classrooms.