Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led government in Manipur lacked the political will to solve unemployment problem in the state, alleged All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary Priyanka Gandhi on Tuesday.
"Manipur has enough potential to solve the problem of unemployment, however the problem is that the BJP does not have the will to do it," she said while addressing a virtual meeting and interaction programme with the people of Manipur in the run-up to the state Assembly elections 2022.
Priyanka Gandhi said that the Congress is a party which respect civil liberties and democratic rights of the people of Manipur and is ready to fix all the devastation done by the BJP in its five-year rule.
Regarding the delay in the Autonomous District Council (ADC) election, she said that it is an act of supressing the voice of the public.
"It is an act of supressing the voice of the public. in fact ADCs are the voice of the public. It is the promise of the Congress to strengthen the ADCs by giving more power and to conduct its election in time," she added.
Priyanka Gandhi also spoke about boosting women empowerment in the state and assured the people of Manipur that if elected to power, the party will ensure 33 per cent job reservation and free public transport for women.
The Congress leader also promised that the party will protect and safeguard the territorial integrity and historical boundary of Manipur in very possible aspects and also to promote peace, harmony and unity among all the ethnic groups, when it returns to power.
Unlike the politics of the BJP which is progressing in divide and rule policy in terms of castes, religion and gender, the Congress is there to take up all possible steps with full effort to provide strong government for the development of Manipur and well-being of its people, said Priyanka.
"My promises is not just because the elections are in the corner. It is because Congress do really care about Manipur and want it to be progressive in all aspects," she added.
Also, speaking at the occasion was former chief minister and state CLP leader Okram Ibobi Singh. He said the Congress party in Manipur is concentrating only on those Assembly constituencies where it can defeat the BJP.
“We are concentrating only on the ACs where we can defeat the BJP so the Congress party did not dispatch candidates in all the 60 ACs of Manipur,” Ibobi said.
The state Congress party fielded candidates in 54 ACs, while its rival BJP fielded candidates in all the 60 ACs of Manipur.
"The result of the election will speak on whether the Congress is weak or not," Ibobi said in reply to the terming of Congress a "weak party" by the BJP as the former did not field candidates in all the 60 ACs.
Regarding the frequent visit of BJP national leaders to the state, he said, “They came on a regular basis to convey the public as they know that the public are fed up with the BJP rule both in the state and the Centre.
“We do not need our leaders to visit the state, we the MPCC along with our supporters are more than enough to fight the election successfully as Congress is accepted by the maximum population of Manipur,” he added.
MPCC president N Loken in his speech apprised the public to not feel apprehension from the various threads made by the BJP to vote for them as they have become "toothless tigers" and will not return to power. The ensuing election is the end of the BJP, the party will be totally rooted out from Manipur, he added.
