NDA Govt not to affect State finances: Ibobi
Source: Hueiyen News Service

Imphal, May 17 2014 : Chief Minister O Ibobi today stated that financial matter of the State would not affect in any way by the next NDA Government at the Centre.

Speaking at a function to felicitate Dr T Meinya and Thangso Baite, the two sitting MPs who have retained their respective seats for Inner and Outer Manipur Parliamentary Constituencies in the Lok Sabha polls, at the Congress Bhavan here, Chief Minister Ibobi also said the next NDA Government cannot cut the State's share with regard to financial matters.

The plan size of the State is fixed by the Planning Commission annually and so long as the utilization certificates are submitted regularly to the Commission by Manipur Government there will be no problem, Ibobi said.

Admitting that political parties generally have bad time as well as good time in politics, the Chief Minister recounted that once BJP got elected only two MPs at the Centre.

He attributed the Congress' defeat in the national elections to decades of ruling by the party that had created anti-incumbency factor.

The Chief Minister, however, thanked the people for giving their mandate to Congress candidates in both Inner and Outer Parliamentary Constituencies.

Deputy Chief Minister and MPCC president Gaikhangam, who also spoke at the function, refuted the speculation that there will be a negative change in the Manipur Government after the BJP-led NDA forms the next Government at the Centre.

He cited an example to prove his contention saying Manipur was under the rule of a stable Congress Government when the NDA was in power at the Centre during the period between 2002 and 2003 .

Gaikhangam asserted that Chief Minister O Ibobi Singh-led Congress Government in the State is still very stable.

Nonetheless, the Deputy Chief Minister sounded nervous by the Modi wave and admitted that the huge number of votes got by the CPI in Manipur Inner seat is a moral victory for the communist party.

"This is a sign that the Congress party should be very careful now and work hard," stated the Deputy Chief Minister.

Gaikhangam also said had there been no malpractices by NPF in the Outer seat, the Congress would win by a margin of over 2 lakh votes.

"How come NPF manages to get such a good number of votes from Thoubal and Churachandpur districts?" asked Gaikhangam.

He then said that NPF is a 'dangerous party' working against the interest of Manipur state.

Naga integration or disintegrating Manipur state is the sole agenda of NPF and "the people of Manipur should know about it," Gaikhangam cautioned the people, while lauding the people for sending two Congress MPs to the Parliament once again.

Dr Meinya and Baite also made speeches on the occasion and pledged to work even more harder for the people this time than in their previous terms.

Thangso Baite said though the anguish of the people is there in many areas, the people overlooked his short-comings and voted him back to the Parliament and expressed his gratitude to the people for it.

Ibobi and Gaikhangam later presented simple gifts to them.

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