Imphal, April 6 (IANS) Chief Minister Yumnam Khemchand Singh on Monday reiterated that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has played a crucial role in safeguarding Manipur’s boundaries and interests.​

Addressing the 47th foundation day of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) at Rongmei village in Naga‑dominated Noney district, the Chief Minister said that it was PM Modi who declared in Parliament that Manipur’s territorial integrity would always be preserved.​

He further credited PM Modi for transforming the Centre’s ‘Look East Policy’ into the ‘Act East Policy’, aimed at opening trans‑Asian highways to Southeast Asian countries.​

Singh thanked Union Home Minister Amit Shah for assuring all possible support for the development of the state and the welfare of its people. He said the BJP is a party that cares deeply for the Northeast, comprising eight states.​

The Chief Minister recalled how former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee established the Union Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER) for the development of the mountainous North-Eastern region.​

He attended the function at Longmai Part‑3 Multipurpose Hall at the Noney district headquarters while returning to the state capital, Imphal, from his three‑day visit to Jiribam district bordering Assam.​

Singh was accorded a warm welcome by local BJP MLA Dipu Gangmei and Rongmei Naga traditional dancers. He, along with state BJP President Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi, hoisted the BJP flag at Longmai Common Ground in Noney town amid the singing of Vande Mataram.​

Accompanied by eight BJP MLAs, the Chief Minister and the state BJP President paid floral tributes to portraits of the BJP’s ideological founders, Deendayal Upadhyaya and Syama Prasad Mukherjee.​

Upon his arrival in Imphal from Jiribam, the Chief Minister was warmly welcomed by women at Nupi Keithel 1 (Women’s Market‑1). He offered prayers to the idol of Leimarel Sidabi and sought the Goddess’s blessings.​

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Manipur Chief Minister and the state BJP President addressed an election rally at Rongpur in support of BJP candidates Rajdeep Goala and Milon Das.

Goala and Das are contesting from the Udharbond and Hailakandi Assembly constituencies, respectively, in southern Assam’s Barak Valley.​

A significant population of Manipuris resides in southern Assam, comprising the three districts of Cachar, Sribhumi (formerly Karimganj), and Hailakandi. Polling for the 126‑member Assam Assembly is scheduled for April 9, with results to be declared on May 4.​

The Manipur Chief Minister was on a two‑day (Saturday and Sunday) visit to the mixed‑population Jiribam district, which shares its border with southern Assam. ​

After attending a series of programmes in Manipur’s Jiribam district, Singh, also a senior BJP leader, travelled to southern Assam to participate in the election campaign in the poll‑bound state.​

–IANS

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