BJP up in arms against corruption in Imphal

IMPHAL: Joining the nationwide protest against corruption and storing of black money in foreign banks, members of BJP's Manipur unit staged a demonstration at their Imphal head office on Thursday.

"Our agitation is part of a four-day nationwide agitation against corruption and black money stored in foreign banks," said the party's secretary (media affairs) Laimayum Basanta Sharma.

He added that the party would continue to take up different modes of protests like street meetings, demonstrations and would whip up support against corruption rampant across the country and Manipur in particular.

The BJP's stir comes barely 12 days after the party's national general secretary, Tapir Gao, sought an apology from Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for the police action on yoga guru Baba Ramdev's supporters on Ramlila Maidan in New Delhi.

"Though we don't have any legislator in the sixty-member Manipur assembly, our national leaders have taken up all critical issues of the state in Parliament from time to time for redressal," said Sharma. Ruing the Centre's decision to defer the Parliament session, he added that the decision was taken after rejecting BJP leaders' demand to hold a special session to discuss the crux issues on various aspects, including corruption.

On the other hand, the lone representative of the saffron party in the Imphal Municipal Council (IMC), Yumlembam Ratikanta, carried out a cleanliness drive at a sericulture office complex in the Sangaipat area of Imphal East. "This is the first social work taken up by me after being elected as councilor in the IMC. We will play the perfect role of opposition for the welfare of people," he said.