Golden era for Manipur to begin: N. Biren Singh

SINCE 2017, rebels in the BJP have been asking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union Home Minister Amit Shah to drop N. Biren Singh as chief minister. But Modi and Shah stood firmly behind Singh, the five-time MLA who left the Congress in 2017 to join the BJP. They even agreed to Singh’s request of going solo in the assembly elections. And, voila, he has delivered.

Singh, who registered a landslide victory from Heingang, scripted history and brought back the BJP to power; this time on its own.

The BJP not only received votes from the valley—dominated by the Meiteis (Hindus)—but also received huge support in the Kuki belt, which has traditionally voted for the Congress. It also won a few seats in the Naga belt.

Excerpts from an interview:

Q/ It was a surprising win, as the BJP fought alone. 

Yes, this time we decided to go alone in the election. I told the central leadership that we have done enough to make everybody in the state happy.

Q/ What are the reasons for the BJP coming back to power?

The slogan of the BJP is everyone’s growth. We did that. The prime minister, home minister and our party president ensured we followed the path. We did not differentiate among people while giving benefits.

Q/ You made yourself available for every community.

[Laugh] Yes, I did. But the prime minister is a [hard] taskmaster. He had an eye on our work. From giving relief during the pandemic to free ration and oxygen plants, he stood by me. He gave me assurance, and I worked hard and brought development in every belt possible.

Q/ So, job done?

We never said that. You are going to see how we are going to perform from today, as it is our own government. We will go to everyone with our development network. The next five years will be a golden era for Manipur.

Q/ But, the central leadership of the BJP told you to bring nationalism into Manipur.

What’s wrong in that? It is an insurgency-prone state. There were lack of development and nationalism as well. But people were not anti-Indians. You know I was threatened because I celebrated the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, who merged Manipur with India. But I went ahead with it.

Q/ So, you will celebrate the birth centenary of Patel again?
 
Yes, of course. I will take Patel's message to every corner of Manipur. He is an icon for Indians. Manipuris are also Indians who sacrificed their lives, as part of INA, during Netaji’s march to Moirang. It is very sad that the Congress did not recognise the INA, but Modi ji did. So, people of Manipur are happy.

 
Q/ But you were a rebel in the past; a journalist who faced a sedition case for taking the side of rebels. How did you adopt nationalism?

[Again laughs] But you did not mention that I was a national footballer. I played for the country. Is it not for national cause?

Q/ You are also getting the votes of Nagas and Kukis, who are orthodox Christians.
 
That’s why I told you to come and see our model of nationalism. Irrespective of being Hindu, Muslim or Christian, all are saying Bharat Mata Ki Jai. This is because we never differentiate between communities. Cooking gas, free ration, and Covid-19 vaccines were all made available at the doorstep to poor people, be it Hindus, Muslims or Christians.

Q/ The JD(U), the NPP and the NPF got a good number of seats. Will you accommodate them?

I will not accommodate the NPP [in the government]. They put a lot of pressure on us to do unethical work. We did not do that. Deputy chief minister [Y. Joykumar Singh], who belongs to the NPP, was defeated as a result of that. I would request the central leadership not to include them in the council of ministers. But the NPF and the JD(U) are our natural allies. We will not do any political harm to them, even though they fought against us.

Q/ What is your next task?

My next task is social engineering through nationalism and reducing the gap between valleys and hills. [I am aiming at] complete eradication of poverty along with ensuring that every community embraces nationalism. Everyone should sing the national anthem with teachings of their respective community. We are not going to hamper anyone’s religious functions. But they have to [imbibe a sense of] nationalism.

Q/ What is your message to insurgent groups?

Come to talks or face action. I will be soft if they lay down their arms. The Union home minister has empowered me to talk to them. They must come on board and should not force me to take harsh measures.

Q/ There was criticism in 2017 that the BJP formed governments in Goa and Manipur despite being the second largest party.

People gave their answers. Both these states have gone to the BJP this time. The message for every party is clear—do not destroy the country by bashing the BJP. Every community, irrespective of caste, creed and religion, lined up to vote for the BJP. The opposition should not cause harm to the country by [merely] opposing us.