Good Manmohanomics gets the vote

NEW DELHI: When the Man from Punjab became an MP from Assam in 1991, there was much resentment against the ''outsider''. Today, they can''t stop gushing over him and all that he has done for the state.
PM Manmohan Singh is one MP who has made everyone in the state happy by putting his MP Local Area Development Fund - Rs 2 crore a year - to good use.
In keeping with good Manmohanomics, the utilisation has been near-optimal: 93.80 per cent, say district officials. Few MPs can match that.
Most of it has gone into improving education and health facilities across the state - there''s even a school named after him. But for capital Guwahati, Singh''s major contribution has been the makeover of the neglected Brahmaputra waterfront.
A scenic park - the Sri Sri Sankardev Udyan - now stretches alongside the flowing river.
MP Manmohan has also done his bit for archeology: some of the MPLADF has gone towards restoring the ruins of the little-known Madan-Kamdev temple, the state''s very own version of Khajuraho and an archeological site dating back to the Gupta period.
The place has been developed as a tourist spot: A 4.3-km approach road now winds its way to the once-forgotten temple near Guwahati and a museum has been built to house the artifacts and aid research.
Singh''s stated permanent address is in the quiet Dispur area. The double-storeyed building in this uptown residential area belongs to the late CM Hiteswar Saikia.
Now his wife Hemaprabha Saikia, who is also the state sericulture minister, stays in it. It was Hiteswar Saikia who had persuaded Singh in 1991 to contest from Assam for the RS marking the beginning of his political career. He was re-elected to the Upper House in 1995 and again in 2001.
Meanwhile, at his Dispur home, there''s nothing to indicate that this is the PM''s house. Except for a handful of security personnel.
Residents are thrilled that their next-door neighbour is now in the driver''s seat. They have a new agenda for him: improving the roads here.