BJP warns State Govt with PR cudgel
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, February 05 2015: Blaming the State Government of rampant corruption, financial mis-management, misgovernance and under performance, BJP Manipur Pradesh has asserted that the existing situation in Manipur presents a very fit case for imposition of President's Rule under Article 356 of the Indian Constitution.

Speaking to media persons at their Nityaipat Chuthek office here today, BJP Manipur Pradesh president Th Chaoba and the party's spokesman RK Shivachandra said that only 29.25 per cent of this financial year's plan amount of Rs 3200 crore has been utilized although the FY would close in the next two months.

The remaining amount of Rs 2545 crore which could not be utilized till date would not be distributed to poor people of the State.

The Chief Minister will draw the whole amount on March 30, one day before the current FY comes to end and it would be deposited against account no 8449 .

Account no 8449 is a bank account opened by the State Government for keeping public money.

But the State Government has been misusing huge portions of the funds deposited against account no 8449, they contended.

There is another agency called Manipur Development Society (MDS).

Account no 8449 and MDS are two areas/agencies where huge amounts of public money are wasted and misappropriated, they alleged.

Account no 8449 is something which is not found in any other State of India.

Even though the Chief Minister has been operating account no 8449 as his personal account, all the Cabinet Ministers and CLP members cannot say anything.

Their silence is conspicuous and they too must be held accountable for wasting/misappropriating public money.

But BJP would not remain silent.

Any attempt to loot money public money deposited in account number 8449 would be opposed tooth and nail by the party with the help of the Government of India.

It is a matter of serious concern for the State as a whole that the State Government is unable to obtain second instalment funds for various economic packages as it could not submit utilization certificates for the amounts released in the first phase.

Amount earmarked for Manipur by NEC for the current financial year was Rs 70 crore and Rs 45 crore has been already released.

But the State Government has spent Rs 62 crore after pooling the additional amount from other funds.

Again, the Government of India sanctioned Rs 100 crore for Manipur for the current financial year from NLCPR.

Out of the sanctioned amount, Rs 72.41 crore was released but the State Government has already spent Rs 81.45 crore.

This is a clear indication that the State Government can spend additional amounts if the areas where the funds are invested are interesting to the Chief Minister and there are rooms for misappropriation of public money for personal aggrandisement, Chaoba and Shivachandra alleged.

Even though MDS was set up for promotion of handloom and agriculture and some allied activities, it is handling several multi-crore projects without any engineer of its own.

One criteria for imposing President's Rule in any State is gross financial mismanagement and Manipur has fulfilled this criteria many years back.

Another criteria is failure to maintain law and order.

The State is not lacking on this front too if one takes into account all the cases of bomb blasts and all kinds of violence reported from different parts of the State on a daily basis, said the two State BJP leaders.

Rule of law is non-existent in the hill districts.

This was testified by the Deputy Chief Minister when he cancelled a trip to Senapati recently because of threat calls made by NSCN-IM from their Hebron camp, claimed the two BJP leaders.

Saying that BJP is deeply concerned with harassment of civilian travellers along Imphal-Moreh highway by security forces, they maintained that the highway should be guarded by State forces.

Assam Rifles' role should be restricted to counter insurgency operations and border security.

Claiming that the incumbent Government is totally hopeless, Chaoba and Shivachandra maintained that the Chief Minister should step down on his own volition on moral ground.

If the Congress Government chooses to cling to power, there is no reason why BJP Manipur Pradesh would not consult the Governor of Manipur who would be appointed anew soon on imposition of President's Rule in the State, they said.

A team of BJP Manipur Pradesh would go to Tengnoupal and talk with JAC representatives tomorrow.

The ongoing bandh and reports of harassment of civilians by security forces along Imphal-Moreh highway would be apprised to the Prime Minister and the Union Home Minister, they added.

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