PM says he is an Assamese at heart

Before filing his nomination papers for re-election to the Rajya Sabha at Guwahati on Wednesday morning, the PM says he is a true Assamese at heart, reports Aloke Tikku.

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh was born in undivided Punjab. But the Prime Minister on Wednesday said he was an Assamese at heart.

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The Prime Minister made the comment shortly before filing his nomination papers for re-election to the Rajya Sabha at Guwahati on Wednesday morning.

Singh, who has represented Assam in the Rajya Sabha for the last 16 years, told a meeting of the Congress legislative party that he knew his "inadequacies". "…But it has been my sincere effort all these years to represent Assam and to be worthy of your trust."

"I may have been born elsewhere but I am today an Assamese at heart. I have tried hard to contribute to Assam's development, to the development of Northeast as a whole," Singh said, renewing the government's intention to lay the foundation for a vibrant and prosperous Assam and the Northeast.

"We have taken up many projects to ensure the integration of the region through better connectivity and infrastructure development. Assam and the Northeast are equal partners in the national development and are destined to play an active role in the national mainstream," he said.