Strive for peace, Sonia urges Manipur people

November 13, 2010 01:32 am | Updated 01:32 am IST - IMPHAL:

Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Friday exhorted the people of Manipur to strive for peace as violence could not bring about a lasting solution to any problem. “All of us should engage in dialogue, instead of confrontation, to move forward.”

She was addressing a public meeting at Kangla here after inaugurating three market complexes for women, a tribal women's market and a Muslim girls' hostel, and laying the foundation stone for the regional branch of the Indira Gandhi National Tribal University.

The UPA chairperson said she could understand the tribulations of the people of Manipur. “However, all of us should work for peace, development and welfare of the people.”

When the Congress-led Secular Progressive Front coalition Ministry was installed in Manipur in March 2002, the State's coffers were empty and there was no money even to pay salaries to employees, Ms. Gandhi said. However, the Centre extended financial and moral support to the government. Now the State's finances were sound, and several developmental projects were being implemented.

Ms. Gandhi announced that Union Minister for Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Kumari Selja, who was present, had sanctioned Rs. 72 crore for the construction of three more market complexes in Imphal.

Earlier, soon after her arrival at the Tulihal airport here, Ms. Gandhi flew in a helicopter to Churachandpur district to dedicate to the nation the Khuga multipurpose project.

On her return to Imphal, she paid floral tributes to the statues of heroes of Manipur.

General strike

The attendance at her function was thin as 17 civil organisations had called a 15-hour general strike protesting against the Centre's failure to establish the whereabouts of chairman of the outlawed United National Liberation Front, R.K. Sanayaima, who was reported to have been arrested in Bangladesh more than one month ago. There was no untoward incident during the general strike. Ms. Gandhi left for New Delhi in the afternoon.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.