Rajkumar Imo Singh, also known as RK Imo Singh, has a legacy to live up to. Having jumped ship to the BJP from the Congress at the fag end of 2021, the saffron party has given him a ticket to contest the Manipur assembly elections from Sagolband assembly constituency.
He is the eldest son of Rajkumar Jaichandra Singh, the first union minister from the state in then prime minister Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet and, subsequently, deputed as the chief minister. Not only that, RK is the son-in-law of incumbent chief minister N Biren Singh. In an exclusive interview to News18, the two-time MLA talks about how his BJP ticket has nothing to do with his father-in-law. Excerpts from an interview:
You have joined the BJP and got a ticket to contest. Everyone is saying it’s because you are the CM’s (N Biren Singh) son-in-law. What do you have to say that?
I am no newcomer. I am a two-time MLA. My father was a former chief minister. In 2007, the Congress did not give me a ticket and I was okay with it. In 2012, too, I did not get a Congress ticket; so I left and formed my own party. Then again, I merged with the Congress and finally got a ticket in 2017. My father-in-law joined the BJP and became CM. I did not join him, but I could feel that the Congress had stopped relying on me. I was sidelined and not given any responsibility. In 2020, I voted for the BJP Maharaj candidate in Rajya Sabha and played my role, whereby some other Congress MLAs helped the BJP government survive. Anyway, I did not have any future in the Congress.
Last year, I met Bhupendra Yadav and he told me that my inclusion had nothing to do with my father-in-law. So, I agreed and joined in November and the party gave me a ticket.
How do you think the BJP will perform?
We expect over 30 seats; we want to bring about peace and stability. Last five years, we have seen peace in this area. We have seen good work in the hills too and have maintained a balance between hills and valley districts. People will vote for development.
What is the difference between Congress and BJP?
The BJP is a structured party; they make direct decisions. Tall leaders are accessible in the BJP, while that’s not the same for the Congress. We generally had to go to Delhi and wait for days to meet big leaders. The Congress neglects the Northeast. When they are in trouble, only then do they think of their workers. The day of voting in the Rajya Sabha, Ahmed Patel and Gaurav Gagoi called me, but it was too late.
Is your father-in-law N Biren Singh giving you tips?
I expect that he will come to my constituency. He helps me a lot and I help him too. He has done a lot of work and am sure that he will again become CM.
Why has the BJP decided against an alliance in Manipur?
We are confident that we can fight alone. Moreover, we have a poor experience with an alliance, but let’s see what happens after the election.
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