Blockade : BJP pitches in , stops short of dubbing Centre's silence discriminatory
Vajpayee, Swaraj set to visit State next month
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 08 2011: Asserting that the Central Government would not have dared to remain silent if the same situation besieging Manipur had occured in other States of the country, former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha has today demanded that the Prime Minister set up a political delegation by November 22 and depute them to the State to study the present situation.

If the Prime Minister refuses to act then the BJP would grill the ruling UPA Government during the coming Winter session of Parliament, he added.

On the other hand, BJP spokeman Prakash Javedkar has said that to extend their solidarity to the people of Manipur, a number of BJP leaders including former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj and others will visit Manipur.

Speaking at the one day Intellectual Meet 2025, organised by the State unit of the BJP at Hotel Classic today, Sinha said that the Centre would not have remained a silent spectator if the same thing had happened in any other State.

Former Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha addressing the Intellectual Meet on Vision 2025

Pitching in for the BJP, Sinha said that the party has the best interest of the people of Manipur in mind and added that this is the reason why the party has deputed its senior members to take stock of the situation.

Stating that the situation warrants the attention of all, cutting across political divides, Yashwant Sinha said that the Prime Minister must depute an all political party delegation to study the situation by November 22 .

In case the Prime Minister fails to heed this, then the BJP would take up the issue and grill the Government during the Winter session in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, he added.

Taking digs at Chief Minister O Ibobi, the senior BJP leader said that the statement of the Chief Minister that 200 trucks are being utilised to ferry in goods sounds like a poor joke.

For a State reeling under more than 90 days of economic blockade, the goods brought in by 200 trucks can never be enough, he pointed out.

"Essential commodities should be air lifted," demanded Yashwant Sinha.

Touching on the other essentials of Vision 2025, Sinha said that the North East, particularly Manipur occupies a strategic point in Asia.

No force can stop this region from developing and becoming the focal point of development.

Sinha further said that while other States have adopted the norm of reserving 50 pc of the seats in local self Government for women, in Manipur it is only 33 pc.

The Vision 2025 of the BJP aims to put the reservation for women in local self Government at 50 pc.

"There is no dearth of fund with the Central Government.

However instead of judiciously utilising the money, poor planning has led to their losses," said the former Finance Minister.

"Money power has become the defining characteristic of election in the country today, making election the root cause of corruption.

This has negated the essence of democracy and a reform is the call of the hour," said Yashwant and added that violence too should have no room in a democracy.

Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson of the BJP, Prakahs Javedkar who was also present at the meeting said that from blockade, Manipur is today facing the trend of counter-blockade.

The BJP understands the suffering of the people and share their travails, he added.