IMPHAL, Sept 5 � BJP Mahila Morcha president Smriti Irani has appealed to Manipuri womenfolk to come forward and take part in political activity to address the plight of the people in the State.
Addressing the media on Sunday at the end of her two day maiden visit to the State to collect a first-hand account of women�s issues, the BJP mahila chief said the die-hard spirit of Manipuris who had risen against the Britishers should not be taken lightly.
�The spell of Congress Government in the State has suppressed the women in the State�, she said and added that the development works of the State has been neglected by the present government creating problems of extreme price rise.
Stating that the women of the State are in a state of perpetual fear owing to the misrule of the Congress-CPI allied Government which seems to be quite ironical in the national context, she maintained that the BJP Mahila Morcha would work for the welfare and empowerment of Manipuri women whether they are in the State or any other part of the country.
The socio-economic conditions of women in the State would also be raised through self-help groups and other income generating institutions, she added. Interestingly, though female voters (8,81,570) outnumber the male voters in Manipur by a margin of 61,740, the 60 member State Assembly presently has only one lady MLA.
Expressing that BJP is the only party in the country which has a 33 per cent reservation for the women, Irani said her party would take up certain development programmes through their Nari Shakti Kendra � a women�s centre in each district which will provide medical care, employment opportunities and marketing platforms for the women folks.
Reminding the taking up of Manipur issues in the parliament by national leaders, the visiting Mahila chief said, �Being a party leader, I shall continue to highlight the plight of Manipur at various platforms�.
Manipur�s craftswomen would be invited for the forthcoming national haat to be held at Bhopal in March next year, she added.
Referring to the recent memorandum submitted by the party�s Vice President and MP Bijoya Chakraborty to the Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh over the suspension order imposed on the Imphal Municipal Council (IMC) for six months for effective implementation of Rs 1,872 crores worth Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban Renewal Mission in Manipur, she said, the move of the Congress Government here shows that they are not working in the interests of the people.
