Assembly elections: Congress treated Manipur as family ATM, says Sambit Patra

GUWAHATI: BJP national spokesman and in-charge of Manipur

Sambit Patra

on Saturday tore into Congress at an election rally by accusing the Gandhis of treating Manipur as a “family ATM” and keeping the state “out of the mainstream discourses” when it was in power in the state for 15 years.

“The Gandhi family considers the northeast and Manipur as their

ATM

card. For 15 years before this government, they had their government (in the state) and whenever they wanted money in Delhi, they would say go to Manipur, put the card in the ATM and take out the money. All your money is now in Gandhis’ vault and that is why there was no development in Manipur,” Patra said at a rally in Kshetrigao constituency. He later tweeted, “Gandhi family and Congress consider Manipur as an ATM to fulfil their greed.”

Patra said Manipur is the land of culture and talent, but Congress chose to work against the people. “Manipur is the land of culture. This is the land of jewels. This is the land of talent. This is the land of knowledge,” he added.

He said, “But I am saddened when I see how for 70 years when it was in power at the Centre, Congress has kept Manipur and the northeast on the sidelines. This is an unpardonable conspiracy that Congress had plotted against the people of Manipur by keeping them out of the mainstream discourses.”

Patra said the situation has changed ever since BJP came to power in the state. “In the past, Congress leaders of Manipur would request with folded hands for an appointment with Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi in New Delhi but no one would meet them. Today, chief minister Biren Singh does not go to Delhi. Central ministers come to Manipur to meet Biren ji,” he added.


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