GUWAHATI: Manipur Chief Minister (until at least the new cabinet is formed) N Biren Singh is not surprised that his party, BJP, has managed to retain power. He said Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of inclusiveness was received well by the people. Among other things, he said that the new government will focus on creating job opportunities for the youth.
Did you expect BJP to win this many (32 of 60) seats?
Yes. In fact, our party’s focus was on winning a minimum of 40 of the 60 seats.
Why do you think people reposed their faith in BJP?
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s mantra of “sabka saath, sabka vikas, sabka vishwas and sabka prayas” did wonders for us. It was the driving force for all of us in the BJP.
With it, we could reach out to people all over the state.
Then, the constant guidance of our central leaders including Prime Minister Modi ji, Home Minister Amit Shah ji and party president JP Nadda ji also helped us a lot. Secondly, the BJP has always valued transparency in itsactivities.
Who are those BJP is aligning with?
We will maintain coalition dharma as desired by our central leadership. We will go along with like-minded parties (Naga People’s Front is a BJP ally and constituent in state’s BJP-led coalition government). I don’t think the NPP (National People’s Party) will be a part of the government.
Is it you who is going to be the Chief Minister?
Our party went to elections in five states and it had no Chief Minister face in any of those. BJP has a democratic set-up and I am a party worker. The central leaders will decide who the next Chief Minister candidate will be.
What will be BJP’s priority areas after the formation of next government?
Creating jobs will be certainly on top of our priority list. The BJP will also focus on speeding up developmental projects in the valley as well as in the hill areas of the state.
(N Biren Singh had answered these questions from the media on Thursday — the day election results were declared)