Q. It is almost two years that you joined the BJP. How do you feel being in the BJP after spending so many years in the Congress? What kind of difference do you find, in terms of work culture, in the BJP?
A. I have been blessed with enormous affection and love of people for the past 27 years that I have been in politics—first as a student and then in active political sphere. The journey has been highly rewarding and I am grateful to God and the people for having posed enormous faith in me.
Be it Congress or BJP, my motto in life has been to continuously work for the welfare of the people. I am glad that as a minister in the Assam government for many years, I have had this great privilege of living my lifelong passion.
BJP is a party for the people, of the people and by the people and, therefore, joining the party was a natural choice as I am intrinsically a people’s person. Under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and sound strategy of party president Amit Shah, I have had the rare privilege of learning a great deal, and it continues. What stands out in BJP is the spirit of freedom and the party’s ability to nurture leaders of all hues. Unlike the Congress, which has systematically decimated regional leaders over the past decades, BJP has diligently nurtured strong regional leaders and it is evident from Madhya Pradesh to Rajasthan, Delhi to Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra, Gujarat and so on. We have a fine axis of national and regional leadership in BJP.
Q. Are you satisfied with the role given by the party leadership?
A. I have been extremely privileged to have been chosen to perform very critical duties as convener of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA). Soon after I joined the party, I was entrusted with the challenging task of spearheading the campaign across the state (Assam). After we won the election, I was made a minister and given critical portfolios like Finance, Health & Family Welfare, Education, Tourism, GDD, P&D, Pensions & Public Grievances. When I had met Amit Shahji immediately after formation of the Assam government, he told me not to think about myself and my career, but instead asked me to do my best towards the organisation and the nation and the party would take care of me. I left everything to my party and I do not think much about myself or any position.
Q. How do you plan to strengthen the BJP in the region?
A. The appeal of PM Narendra Modi has been historic and unprecedented. From Kutch to Kolkata, Shillong to Srinagar and Salem, people adore him and look up to him as India’s most credible PM ever, who has a clear vision for the country. This has been a key factor for the rise of the party in the Northeast.
I have been working very closely with leaders from across Northeast and share excellent rapport with many of them. Northeast is unique and when drawing up a political strategy it is important to factor in this uniqueness—be it the cultural dynamics or language, people’s aspirations as well as the delicate relationship between diverse ethnic groups—and at the risk of sounding immodest, may I say this comes naturally to me. I am certain that by 2019 the political landscape of the Northeast would have radically transformed in favour of the saffron party.
Q. BJP came to power in Manipur after you became the convener of the NEDA. What next? How do you plan to bring different political parties of the Northeast under this umbrella and expand the alliance?
A. We are committed to the idea of sabka saath, sabka vikas and it is this philosophy which has been at the core of my engagements with political parties across Northeast. I very strongly feel that Northeastern states, despite having high potential, have lacked because of faulty policies of the Central government over the decades.
It is evident the PM has a very high focus on the development of the northeastern states and people are highly aware of this. With our progressive policies and robust vision of a grand India, we are reaching out to potential allies in an effort to consolidate our position and establish the BJP as the fulcrum of political re-alignments in the Northeast.
Q. How do you find yourself politically after five years? Where would you like to contribute more—organisation or the government?
A. I see myself working as passionately as I do today, five years down the line. I shall be glad to contribute to the best of my abilities in the making of a new India that the Prime Minister has so passionately envisioned for us. Whether I am in a role in the party or the government, I take extreme delight in working relentlessly. A position is just incidental to my existence and commitment.
Q. Do you aspire to come to the Centre at some point of time or, are you happy being a political stalwart of the Northeast?
A. I am happy being what I am today and I shall be equally happy tomorrow. The blessings of God, affection of people and faith of my leaders propel me every day. Whether I am in New Delhi or Guwahati, my commitment to work is sacrosanct and uncompromising. It doesn’t matter where I am—my commitment to work is non-negotiable.
Q. Infiltration is a big issue in Assam. How does the government plan to tackle it?
A. We have spelt out a series of measures in our vision document and I stand by it. The core of it is implementing the Assam Accord in its letter and spirit and providing constitutional, legislative, social and cultural safeguard as per Clause 6 of the Assam Accord. Protecting the Xatra, and other religious, cultural and ecological land from infiltrators is also high on agenda. We have said that those with suspected citizenship having encroached on government land will be evicted following the due process of law. We shall work closely with the Central government to achieve complete sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border in Assam.
We have also proposed scrutinising the citizenship of all suspected residents of the state in conformity with the upgraded National Register of Citizens (NRC) and leveraging IT like biometrics to assist the revisioning of the electoral rolls.
The setting up of ideal villages along the Indo-Bangla border populated by ex-servicemen to assist the police and other security forces towards prevention of infiltration is also proposed and so is strengthening of the Border Wing of the Assam Police, in coordination with the Border Security Force (BSF).