Congress rolls out red carpet to new members
Ex-CM O Ibobi bares fangs at rival BJP
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, November 16 2018: Ex-Chief Minister and Congress Legislature Party (CLP) leader Okram Ibobi has categorically stated that Congress party would not tolerate any further attack from rival BJP but would hit back word for word.

O Ibobi said this during a warm reception function held today at Congress Bhavan in honour of 10 people who have joined the Congress party anew.

Those who have joined Congress party include Lamlai Municipal Council Chairperson RK (O) Memi who was elected on BJP ticket and Vice-Chairperson Sh Bishwachandra.

Speaking at the reception function, O Ibobi came out heavily against BJP's persistent verbal assault on the Congress party.

He warned that any further assault would be met with befitting response.

Rebuffing BJP's allegation that Congress party was deeply involved in the protracted Manipur University crisis, the ex-Chief Minister said that the Congress party was silently watching the crisis for quite some time.

As the situation grew worse and when complete loss of a full academic year became imminent, a team of Congress party went to Delhi and appealed the Union Human Resource Development Minister to resolve the crisis and save MU, Ibobi said.

The Centre's BJP-led NDA Government and the State's BJP-led coalition Government were conspiring and watching the protracted crisis silently which forced the High Court of Manipur to intervene.

The High Court's intervention to save MU and thousands of students was a matter of utter shame for the Government, Ibobi remarked.

Referring to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel's statue unveiled recently in Gujarat which is now the world's tallest statue, the CLP leader asked the NDA Government whether it has the capacity to build similar statues of all the leaders of the Indian freedom movement.

It would have been much more productive to set up five/six agricultural colleges in the country with the astronomical amount spent in building the statue, Ibobi said.

He went on to assert that there is no man among BJP leaders who can sacrifice for the country like the freedom fighters of Congress party.

Pointing out that the 15th Finance Commission would come into effect from April next year, he appealed to the State Government to bring a huge amount of fund from the same 15th Finance Commission for development of Manipur.

If the State Government can do so, everybody including Congress party would welcome it otherwise the State would face a very hard time, Ibobi cautioned.

Ex-Deputy Chief Minister and Congress Working Committee (CWC) Member Gaikhangam welcomed all the people who had left BJP and joined Congress after realising that BJP is a party which feels no shame in telling volumes of lies.

No external force is needed to topple the incumbent Government.

Trust deficit and dissent within the Government have come out in the open and the coalition Government will collapse under its own weight, Gaikhangam said.

There is nothing more shameful than the BJP-led Government's claim over infrastructure developed by Congress Government as their works after re-painting the same works, he remarked.

Questioning the source/head for the monetary aid given under the Chief Minister-Gi Hakshel Gi Tengbang (CMHT), Gaikhangam asserted that the monetary aid is being given from the funds of National Rural Health Mission after flouting all rules and norms.

MPCC president TN Haokip too spoke at the function.

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