PM Modi to campaign in Manipur on February 22

Manipur BJP president A Sharda Devi said that PM Modi will be addressing a public meeting rally at the Luwangshangbam sports complex.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi (ANI photo)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will visit Manipur on February 22 to campaign for BJP candidates ahead of the Assembly polls.

Manipur BJP president A Sharda Devi said that Modi will be addressing a public meeting rally at the Luwangshangbam sports complex, which is situated in Chief Minister N Biren Singh’s constituency. In view of the Covid-19 protocols in place, the party has decided to not allow more than 1 lakh people to attend the event, she said.

Expressing concerns over recent instances of violence ahead of the polls, Sharda appealed to the people of the state to take steps to ensure that the polls are held in a free and fair manner.

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The Coordination Committee (CorCom), a conglomerate of militant groups of Manipur, has called for a total shutdown on February 22 to “boycott” Modi’s visit to the state.

The militant body appealed to the people to support the boycott call by enforcing the total shutdown which will remain effective until the PM leaves the state. Medical, fire services, and other emergency services will be exempted from the purview of the shutdown, said CorCom in a statement. It further claimed that Modi’s visit is part of an agenda to extend India’s “colonial rule” over Manipur.

Manipur is set to go to polls in two phases, on February 28 and March 5.