The Manipur BJP will release its election manifesto for the assembly polls on Thursday with a focus on “growth development and peace”. The party’s national p resident JP Nadda will release the manifesto in state capital Imphal.
Speaking to News18, Union minister of state for education RK Singh, who is also the BJP manifesto committee chief, said, “We are guided by honorable Prime Minister’s ‘sabka saath, sabka vikas’ theory. We have taken feedback from various teams, various sections of the society and have come up with a manifesto. Our motto is peace for development. That is why we have given it a name — GDP. Manipur needs more growth, more development and peace.”
The Armed Forces Special Powers Act (AFSPA), which is a major issue this time, too, in the Manipur elections, will not be featured in the BJP manifesto, as per party sources. The Congress, and even regional parties such as the National People’s Party, have said they will remove the draconian act if they are voted to power.
While chief minister N Biren Singh has been vocal on removing the AFSPA, sources said the BJP manifesto will not have anything on the act.
RK Singh said a “double-engine” government was the BJP’s agenda. The state government, therefore, was going for a second-time examination with more connectivity, more education and more infrastructure theory, Singh added.
Party sources said the development agenda had helped them nationally. So, the main thrust will be on development and also, in the last five years, there had been fewer economic blockades, they added. Sources also said peace will be at the forefront.
RK Singh said, “We want the removal of the AFSPA. That’s there in our demand but our manifesto is a developmental manifesto, that’s why it will not have AFSPA.”
In reaction to this, Bhakth Charan Das of the Congress said, “People have not got jobs, so there is no development. What are they talking about? We actually want the removal of the AFSPA.”
Out of the 60 seats in Manipur, 40 seats are in the Valley and 20 in the hill district.
Read all the Latest News, Breaking News and Assembly Elections Live Updates here.
,