Imphal, September 25 2010: President of Manipur Pradesh Congress Committee (MPCC), MLA Gaikha-ngam has said that there is already a government approval of improving the Tongjei Maril road with the fund of ' 86 crore from the Prime Minister's package and naming the road as NH 53(A) .

He said, work for improvement of the 100 km long road will start very soon.

In this regard, discussions with the Chief Minister were being held.

Gaikhangam announced this at a public function organised to felicitate him on his becoming MPCC persident once again by the Bishnupur Block Congress Committee at the Multipurpose Indoor Stadium at Ningthoukhong in Bishnupur district today.

MLA of Bishnupur A/C Govindas Konthoujam, newly elected office bearers of MPCC and office bearers of Block Congress Committee along with a large number of party workers and supporters attended the function.

Speaking on the occasion, Gaikhangam emphasised the necessity for a strong bond between the hills and the valley people, which makes Manipur a unique state having different names such as "the Jewel of India", "Switzerland of India", "Sanaleibak", etc.

"We should be cautious from those people who were trying to spoil the beautiful name of the golden land in the name of patriotism," he said.

The Congress party needs to have very good relationship with the government as well as the people, the MPCC president said.

Otherwise there is no point in the party's existence.

He appealed to the newly elected office bearers to join hands to strengthen the Congress party and try to get at least 40 seats in the next assembly elections.

Gaikhangam further said that the number of the Ministers in the state government is only 12.He had been offered ministerial berth but he declined.

Advising the Congress MLAs who were restless with the aspiration of becoming Minister, Gaikhangam said there is no use scrambling for the few ministerial berths.

When the people of India asked Sonia Gandhi to become Prime Minister, she declined and sacrificed all personal interests and handed over the post to Dr Manmohan Singh.

Like that we should also sacrifice our own personal interest as leaders.

Without sacrifice, there would not be a good leader in Congress party, Gaikhangam said.

"We have to speak for the sake of truth in the interest of the people's welfare and good governance.

We should be able to speak the truth for the sake of the people of the state.

It is unfortunate that some of us can not speak up the truth," Gaikhangam asserted.

Taking a dig at some of the Congress MLAs who nurtured a dream of becoming minister, Gaikhangam said, "Let's also learn not to become minister.

If one is too obsessed with ambition and desire, he would suffer from hypertension" .

"Ambition and desire enslave and destroy a person.

Therefore, we should learn to be able to sacrifice.

Only then one can become a mature politician.

I will never forget the warm reception accorded to me by the people of Bishnupur today," Gaikhangam said.

Recalling the sit-in-protest during the election process for the presidentship of MPCC recently, Gaikhangam said that since Congress is a democratic party, everyone can express what he or she likes.

Since it was an internal family issue, after threadbare discussions, the issue was unanimously solved without keeping any grudge.

Thus, he was elected as the president uncontested.

At this remarkable tradition of Congress, some other parties were burning with envy.

There is no question of dictatorship in the party.

Every decision is taken unanimously, Gaikhangam, the orator, explained.

Other dignitaries also spoke at the function.

Comment