Imphal: Taking a potshot at Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) National Spokesperson Sambit Patra on Saturday said that for Congress, NE (North-East India) stands for ‘Non-Existent’ while for Prime Minister Narendra Modi it stands for ‘New-Engine’.
His remarks came while addressing a press conference where Manipur BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi and Chief Minister N. Biren Singh were also present.
“3-4 days back Rahul Gandhi had tweeted saying that India is beautiful in all its colours from Kashmir to Kerala and from Gujarat to West Bengal. But where is North East India? You should feel ashamed that you removed North East India from your tweet, your vocabulary and your dictionary. You should apologize to every North-East Indian for this insult. NE means ‘Non Existent’ for Congress while for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it stands for ‘New Engine’ for growth of India,” said Patra while addressing the press.
Patra was taking a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for not mentioning the North East in his ‘union of cultures’ tweet which was a counter to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘UP will be Kerala’ remark.
In his tweet on Thursday, Rahul Gandhi accused the BJP-led government of “insulting the spirit of India”.
“There is strength in our Union. Our Union of Cultures. Our Union of Diversity. Our Union of Languages. Our Union of People. Our Union of States. From Kashmir to Kerala. From Gujarat to West Bengal. India is beautiful in all its colours. Don’t insult the spirit of India,” said the Wayanad MP.
Patra highlighted that Rs 1,500 crores were allocated for the development of the region as a part of the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North East (PM-DenINE) scheme in the recently-passed Union Budget for 2022-23.
Launching the ‘Creative Campaign’ for the upcoming polls in the state, Patra said the fact that the BJP government continued the tale of peace and development in the state is a campaign in itself. “Today, thanks to innovative ideas of the Chief Minister like ‘Go To Hill’ and ‘Go To Village’ programmes, there is an atmosphere of integration in Manipur, a connection never seen before between the valley and the hills,” he added.
He highlighted that Inner Line Permit (ILP) was given to the state under the BJP government after years of consideration over the same and lack of interest shown by other governments over it.
Highlighting the government’s success in Law and Order, Patra said, “The state of ‘Beauty’ was once used to bandhs and blockades. But under the leadership of Chief Minister N Biren Singh, there are no bands and blockades. There is peace and development, law and order has been established. Manipur received the ‘Most Improved Small State in India in Overall Law and Order’ in 2019.”
Patra said that in the field of Healthcare, 3.63 lakh people had gained benefits of Ayushman Bharat and 4.46 lakh people had gained benefits of CMHT in the state. “Churachandpur has got a medical college too,” he added.
The leader highlighted that the BJP government in the state had done a lot for its farmers, pointing out that 5.82 lakh farmers got benefits from the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-KISAN) scheme and Rs 1,694 crores were spent to increase irrigation facilities in the state.
On the issue of employment, Patra said, “In last 5 years, Manipur has become a start-up hub in the North East with 5,477 start-ups. 12,000 unemployed persons got the benefits of the PM Mudra Scheme. 18,714 jobs were generated via PM Employment Generation Programme. 20,000 youth were trained under the PM Kaushal Vikas Yojna. Under MNREGA, 5.69 lakh families received benefits.”
Patra highlighted that during BJP’s tenure in the state, a lot of infrastructural development had occurred in a short period of time.
“Barak Bridge, 154 m long, Makru Bridge, 124 m long were made. Imphal-Moreh-Trans-Asian 4 lane highway was upgraded at a cost of Rs 762 crores. Mizoram-Manipur-Nagaland highway was made at Rs 124.92 crores. Jiri-Tupul-Imphal railway line will be completed by March 2022. We will also have the world’s tallest pier bridge for Railways, which is 141 m long,” he added.
Regarding women’s empowerment in state, he said that over 1200 women police officers were recruited to women police stations, 70 new Ima markets were opened and 1.55 lakh families were given LPG Gas connections under the Ujjwala scheme.
Patra asserted that the party will form its government once again after the elections and the elections will add another chapter to the story of Congress’s debacle.
Voting in Manipur will be held in two phases on February 27 and March 3 and the results will be declared on March 10.
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