Himanta Biswa Sarma emerges as BJP's Hero in the Northeast

Guwahati, May 23, 2019:

Assam Finance Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has emerged as a hero for the BJP in the hilly terrains of Northeast India and the leader, in his first exclusive interview with Inside Northeast, revealed that the constant attention given to the Northeast by the central leadership of the BJP (especially PM Modi and BJP President Amit Shah) has helped him reach the lofty status.

With the party's rock-solid performance in the 2019 elections, Himanta seems to have redeemed himself after the Citizenship Amendment Bill fracas (when the entire Northeast rose up in rebellion against the party) and dispelled the doubts over the party's ability to retain its newly-conquered strongholds in the Northeast.

Himanta Biswa Sarma's high-energy campaigning (where he would often exhibit dance moves to the BJP campaign song) has earned him high praise from the party leadership including Assam Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal.

Speaking exclusively to Inside Northeast Editor-in-Chief Afrida Hussain, the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) convenor Himanta Biswa Sarma revealed his election strategy and what comes next for him and the BJP party after the election.

Afrida Hussain: What gave you the condifence to predict that the BJP would make inroads in West Bengal?

Himanta Biswa Sarma: Whenever I have entered Bengal, I have seen anger against Mamata Banerjee everywhere. Right from an auto driver, to a taxi driver, to a company trainee. Whoever I have met in Bengal in the last fourteen days, there was a tremendous anger against Mamata Banerjee. This Lok Sabha election is the beginning of the end of Mamata Banerjee. With this result, you will see the end of Mamata Banerjee because there is a lot of anger against Mamata's brand of politics.

Afrida Hussain: How were you confident that the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would not harm the election despite the protests? How do you know the pulse?

Himanta Biswa Sarma: CAB has a very positive for the BJP. When you are going to give shelter to your brothers, who will oppose it? The Hindus, jains, Christians, Buddhists, they are our civilisational brothers and sisters. They consider Bharat as their motherland. If you give shelter to a person who are being persecuted for following Hindu religion in Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Afghanistan, will a common Hindu oppose them? The persons or group who started this agitation started on the wrong the wrong footing -- that a Hindu will be against a Hindu, a Hindu will against a Buddhist, a Hindu will be against a Sikh, a Hindu will be against a Christian, even a Muslim will be against a displaced Hindu who desperately seeks shelter. I think the entire anti-CAB was started on a wrong notion. I could see it during those periods and I interacted with a lot of people. People told us not to compromise and go ahead. CAB has in fact helped the BJP come to power in these states in the Northeast."

Afrida Hussain: I have been covering the Northeast for eighteen years, I have never seen the Northeast given so much attention by the national media. From your dance, to everything. How did that happen?

Himanta Biswa Sarma: When a Prime Minister and the party President give so much importance to a region, the leaders and workers of the region are also lifted up. For the first time, Modi and Amit Shah have given so much importance to the party karyakartas of the BJP Northeastern region and overall developmental process. When the singlemost attention of national Govt is in a particular region, then obviously leaders and workers from that region got an upliftment. This was a process which was initiated by the PM and Amit Shah and I am happy that for their attention, the Northeast is at the forefront of national media and the national narrative.

Afrida Hussain: You are a NEDA leader also, lots of commitments towards the Northeast also is there. What are the first changes will you bring to these people? You will become a mentor to the MPs, so what are the differences you would want to bring?

Himanta Biswa Sarma: Finally, we got MPs from Northeast who believe in the same political ideology and who are under the same leader. Today, for the first time Northeast is lucky to have 18-19-20 MPs who are under one umbrella and who believe in the same ideology -- they are dedicated to the development of the Northeast. I think these 20 MPs along with our 8-state Government will be able to bring a lot of development to the Northeast and I am sure that Northeast will be in the national mainstream from every angle of our social-political-economic life.

Afrida Hussain: What is the major reason why the Congress did not gain the confidence this time?

Himanta Biswa Sarma: This is the love and respect for Prime Minister Modi. He has not thought about political benefit. He has a single-minded intention to bring the Northeast to the nationakl mainstream. The people of the Northeast has paid their gratitude to the Prime Minister Modi.

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