Reported By:
| Edited By: Kartikeya Sharma |Source: WION |Updated: Feb 24, 2017, 09:25 PM IST
Why is Manipur so important in the scheme of things for BJP?
We started our victory march with Assam. Then we did well in other states. The next stop is Manipur. The present government is very corrupt and problems faced by the people are severe. There is high unemployment and violence in the state.
Manipur in the past has seen a lot of blockades. It has become a state of blockades. How do you plan to tackle this problem?
Manipur has suffered enormously because of blockades. The state has lost hundreds of days because of this which causes losses of Rs 30 crores per day. Blockades have also happened because of the political interests of the ruling party. We have asked the state government to end the blockade immediately and sent extra security forces. The state government didn’t act. If we come to power, we will make sure that blockades don’t take place.
The impression is that BJP didn’t do much to end the blockade because the government was concerned about the Naga Accord?
That was wrong propaganda which the local government indulged in. It is incorrect.
It was a misunderstanding. The government of India can only assist the state government. It cannot take law and order under its control. We have given the state 170 companies of paramilitary. So if the chief minister still says this then I cannot do anything. The CM was afraid of taking strict action against people who created problems for the whole valley and expressed his helplessness. It is a sad situation.
Why were the basic details of the accord not been shared?
It is a framework for a better agreement tomorrow. It’s not the final agreement. It is one-page agreement. It doesn’t talk about Manipur. It only talks about the basic parameters under which the agreement will be worked out with the Nagas. There is no question of territorial compromise of Manipur and yet to rake up the issue reeks of political desperation and nothing else. There's nothing secret in the document. The cooking has begun and you want to taste it, let it take place in time.
7 districts were created which led to the blockade. How do you see it?
Chief Ministers have the right to create districts. These are administrative decisions. The Vajpayee government created three states peacefully. Look at Congress. They created Telangana and Andhra Pradesh which caused bad blood. It is a similar situation. They should have created districts in a manner which should not have led to political strife. That’s the whole problem. People of the state feel that CM Okram Ibobi Singh has been in power for 15 years, so why did he need to create 7 districts two months before the elections?
Manipur cannot be limited to the issue of blockades. There are problems unique to this state. How do you intend to solve them?
Right now in this election, the issue is about corruption which needs to end immediately. Manipur needs to be a blockade-free state. We will create employment here. There have been extra judicial killings in Manipur. There are thousands of widows. There is lawlessness perpetrated by the elected government. That will be put to an end. Political masters who were behind the extra judicial killings will be brought to book.
If you are talking about extra judicial killings then you will have to deal with AFSPA. How do you plan to resolve this issue? Iron Sharmila is contesting election on this issue.
Once we are in power, we will look into it. Wherever AFSPA exists, it exists because of violence. We will end violence in the valley. There are no jobs here. This is the reason for insurgency. That will create a situation that AFSPA won't be required.
You are incharge of the BJP North East. The PM has spoken about Look East politics in the past. How do you integrate it?
It is very important to us. Manipur is a major trade transit point and Manipur is very important in this scheme. This is the reason why we want a government in Manipur
What makes you confident that BJP will come to power in Manipur?
People are fed up with 15 years of misrule, the Congress CM is corrupt and people want a different leadership which they see in PM Modi. We will provide that no-nonsense leadership.
But what about ending the anxiety over Nagalim which exists in Manipur?
Absolutely. I would say whatever be the nature of talks with Naga leaders, the territorial integrity of Manipur will not be compromised. It's territory is sacred for us. No territory can be changed without the clearance of the state government.
