JOWAI: Manipur’s PWD Minister Bishwajit Singh said on Monday the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a “party with difference” and that is evident from the change it brought about in his state.
Singh, who was in Jowai to attend BJP’s polling booth sammelan, said Manipur had never elected a single BJP MLA in the past but 21 representatives were elected this time and the party formed government.
“The BJP government with strong support from the Centre is making a great change in Manipur. Railway connectivity is one of the most important modes of transport and by 2019, Manipur will be connected by railways. The road condition has improved and the Centre has sanctioned Rs 22 crore for improvement of roads,” Singh said and urged people to vote for BJP if they wanted to see change in Meghalaya.
BJP national spokesperson and in charge Meghalaya Nalin Kohli, who was also present on Monday, said the Mukul Sangma-led government has left the state unattended for 10 years.
“The national highway has become like a showroom but when you divert away from the national highway, the road condition is pathetic,” he said.
Earlier too, the senior BJP leader had taunted the state government for poor road condition in Garo Hills.
Kohli said healthcare too needed improvement.
He criticised the Congress for failing to bring in a state mining plan “so that the people will not suffer from the NGT ban on extraction of coal”.
He reiterated that if voted to power, BJP will restore coal mining with a proper mining policy that will have a balance with the environment.
“You must trust us, if you support us and when we are in power, we will restore back coal mining within 7 to 8 months,” Kohli said. During a press briefing, Kohli said, “I am a lawyer and I have studied the case. NGT did not ban coal mining, it has only asked the state government to bring the state mining plan but for three years it could not come up with a plan to help NGT lift the ban and restore mining activities in the state that has affected thousands of people.”
Others who spoke on the occasion were state vice-president David Kharsati and state vice-president Arnes Mawrie.
Earlier, BJP state president Shibun Lyngdoh said there were 330 polling booths in Jaintia Hills.
The general meeting of BJP workers on Monday saw participation by members from all the seven constituencies in East and West Jaintia Hills.
Around 4,000 thousands BJP workers and supporters thronged Jrisalein playground to attend the first polling booth sammelan of the party in the state. Kohli said a similar meeting will be held in Khasi Hills and Garo Hills.
