Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that BJP will continue to rule Manipur and they don’t need an ally to win the elections.
Elections will take place in two phases in Manipur on February 27 and March 3 for the 60-member assembly.
Sarma, who is the convener of the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), addressed a meeting of intellectuals in Imphal on the union budget.
He highlighted Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts towards the holistic development of the northeastern region.
He said the Prime Minister’s Development Initiative for North-East (PM-DevINE) scheme announced by the union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting the union budget 2022-23 is a testimony of PM Narendra Modi’s focus on the northeast.
“Modi Ji’s scheme PM DevINE (Development in North East) is the first of its kind scheme in the name of Prime Minister. There were schemes earlier too, like the Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana (PMGSY), but this scheme is focused entirely on the northeast,” Sarma said.
Manipur is poised to return another term to @BJP4India.
As we get set for #ManipurElection2022, I along with Hon Union MoS Smt @PratimaBhoumik; Min Sri @TheAshokSinghal; Prabhari Dr @sambitswaraj; & President @BJP4Manipur Smt @AShardaDevi held discussions with karyakartas. pic.twitter.com/FOcCJySggU
— Himanta Biswa Sarma (@himantabiswa) February 9, 2022
“PM Modi believes that the country’s economy will only grow when we (Northeastern states) will,” he added while saying that the Prime Minister has shown the world that when he talks about Atmanirbhar Bharat, he means it.
Appreciating Budget 2022-23, the chief minister said that the Centre’s commitment toward the northeastern states is “not just words, but deeds too”.
Sarma’s statement that they don’t need an ally to win elections in Manipur is interesting as BJP’s key partner in Meghalaya – Conrad Sangma led National People’s Party (NPP) seems to be coming out as a strong opponent to its partner.
“Alliance with the NPP is a factor in Meghalaya. But as far as Manipur is concerned, the BJP would form the government on its own. BJP’s primary focus is now on getting a solid majority, rather than looking into the party’s future status with the partners,” Sarma said.
