Q/ Many were surprised when you were chosen as chief minister five years ago. You had just joined the BJP after a long stint with the Congress.
A/ That is true. I did not expect that. In the late evening of March 8, 2017, I got a call from Amit Shah. He told me that the parliamentary board had chosen me as chief minister. I almost jumped in joy. That day I took an oath that I will not let them down. I worked 24x7 the past five years and you now are seeing the change. What the Congress could not do in 15 years, I have done in five.
Q/ But you were also a senior Congress minister for close to 15 years.
A/ Yes, but I had no voice. That is why I left.
Q/ Development has not reached every part of Manipur, especially the hills.
A/ Once I receive official reports about this—that there is a gap—I will try my best in the remaining three months [before the elections].
Q/ You have said that the Modi government has helped you in every way. Could you elaborate?
A/ First, take the case of the highways. The Centre gave me ₹4,000 crore to build highways (Imphal to Moreh and Imphal to Dimapur). For water, I received ₹3,400 crore. So, I was able to get potable water for the poor. Before I assumed power, Manipur had only 5 per cent tap water supply. Today, it is more than 60 per cent.
Q/ You seem to have handled the pandemic well. But, like in Bengal, cases could go up around election time.
Denne historien er fra January 16, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra January 16, 2022-utgaven av THE WEEK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
William Dalrymple goes further back
Indian readers have long known William Dalrymple as the chronicler nonpareil of India in the early years of the British raj. His latest book, The Golden Road, is a striking departure, since it takes him to a period from about the third century BC to the 12th-13th centuries CE.
The bleat from the street
What with all the apps delivering straight to one’s doorstep, the supermarkets, the food halls and even the occasional (super-expensive) pop-up thela (cart) offering the woke from field-to-fork option, the good old veggie-market/mandi has fallen off my regular beat.
Courage and conviction
Justice A.M. Ahmadi's biography by his granddaughter brings out behind-the-scenes tension in the Supreme Court as it dealt with the Babri Masjid demolition case
EPIC ENTERPRISE
Gowri Ramnarayan's translation of Ponniyin Selvan brings a fresh perspective to her grandfather's magnum opus
Upgrade your jeans
If you don’t live in the top four-five northern states of India, winter means little else than a pair of jeans. I live in Mumbai, where only mad people wear jeans throughout the year. High temperatures and extreme levels of humidity ensure we go to work in mulmul salwars, cotton pants, or, if you are lucky like me, wear shorts every day.
Garden by the sea
When Kozhikode beach became a fertile ground for ideas with Manorama Hortus
RECRUITERS SPEAK
Industry requirements and selection criteria of management graduates
MORAL COMPASS
The need to infuse ethics into India's MBA landscape
B-SCHOOLS SHOULD UNDERSTAND THAT INDIAN ECONOMY IS GOING TO WITNESS A TREMENDOUS GROWTH
INTERVIEW - Prof DEBASHIS CHATTERJEE, director, Indian Institute of Management, Kozhikode
COURSE CORRECTION
India's best b-schools are navigating tumultuous times. Hurdles include lower salaries offered to their graduates and students misusing AI
