Thongju candidates hoist poll flag ; Himanta Sarma joins BJP campaign
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 16 2015: Former Congress leader Himanta Biswa Sarma who even held Ministerial portfolios in the Assam Government has asserted that BJP would lay the foundation of a new Manipur by defeating rival Congress candidates in the ensuing by-election to Thangmeiband AC and Thongju AC.

Notably, Himanta Biswa Sarma quit the Congress and joined BJP recently.

Speaking as chief guest at a flag hoisting ceremony of BJP candidate Thongam Bishwajit at his Ningomthong residence today he claimed that the by-election was necessitated on account of Congress party's corrupt governance.

Bishwajit could have gone to Court and retained his MLA seat but he chose to fight the by-election in accordance with the conviction of the people of Thongju AC to completely uproot the Congress Government.

Himanta Biswa said that he joined INC in 1992 and he worked as Manipur in-charge during the Manipur Legislative Assembly election held in 2012 .

Himanta Sarma joins BJP campaign

He said that he joined BJP as he felt disillusioned with the corrupt practices and ideology of the Congress party.

Huge amounts of fund were sanctioned by the Centre for Manipur during successive terms of Chief Minister O Ibobi.

But little progress was seen on the ground.

It appears that there was a black-hole.

This black-hole is nothing but a creation of corruption.

Now people have started realizing that Congress would not do anything positive for the people of the North East region.

The region needs a leader like Narendra Modi.

For the first time in the entire region, Assam would see a BJP-led Government after the 2016 election.

BJP would eventually form Governments in all other States of the region, he continued.

He claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP have an aspiration to make India one of the most progressive Nations in the world.

Lok Sabha MP and BJP North East in-charge Prahlad Singh Patel, BJP Manipur Pradesh president Th Chaoba, BJP Vision Document 2020 chairman Dr RK Ranjan, former Speaker Dr Dhananjoy, veteran politician Okram Joy and many other party leaders were also present at the flag hoisting ceremony.

O Joy maintained that the by-election provides a perfect opportunity to teach the Congress party a befitting lesson for all their corrupt practices and scandals which have sullied the face of the country in front of the international community.

It would be no exaggeration to interpret Congress as 'corruption' and 'criminal'.

Congress party is the root of all the ills afflicting Manipur today, Joy said.

Reacting to Congress party's allegation that the two BJP candidates were disqualified from being MLAs for their failure to behave as MLAs, Joy asked as to why Deputy Chief Minister Gaikhangam and Health Minister Phungzathang Tonsing were disqualified earlier.

Gaikhangam signed a declaration in support of Naga integration in 1995 not at Manipur Bhavan, Delhi but at a hotel where he shared meals with insurgents, Joy charged.

Abolition of Congress means securing the future of Manipur, he continued.

Th Chaoba appealed to the gathering to compare the performance of Congress Government which ruled the country for the past 65 years with the performance of the Narendra Modi Government which was sworn in just around one year and six months back.

The comparison can be applied to Thongju AC by analogy.

Whereas BJP is committed to good governance, Congress party is infatuated with money power and muscle power, Chaoba asserted.

Reacting to the promises of Chief Minister O Ibobi to bring rapid development in Thongju AC in case the Congress candidate is elected, Th Bishwajit asked the Congress Government to first fulfil the promises they made ahead of the by-election to Hiyanglam AC.