Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday charged the Congress with having an "inherent habit" of shelving tough development projects, which, according to him, left the Northeast behind.
Addressing a public rally at Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar following the inauguration of development projects valued over ₹5,100 crore, Modi underscored the implementation of the GST reforms. The step was termed by him as a "double bonanza" for people during the festive season, with lower tax rates kicking in on the first day of Navratri.
The Prime Minister emphasized his government's continued interaction with the region, stating, "I knew that the Northeast couldn't be developed from Delhi, and so, I sent ministers and officers more frequently to the region, and myself came here more than 70 times."
An in-built culture of Congress is that they never undertake development work which is hard to accomplish; they leave it. That culture of Congress did vast damage to Arunachal Pradesh and the whole Northeast. In the hills and forests, where development work was tough, Congress would pronounce the areas backward and just abandon them," Modi accused.
He identified that zones earlier written off as unsuitable for infrastructure development now have contemporary connectivity. "The Sela tunnel, unthinkable before, is today a source of pride for Arunachal. The Hollongi airport has a new building and has direct flights to Delhi. This has made travelling easier for students and tourists alike and also assists farmers in shipping their products to major markets," he stated.
The Congress overlooked Arunachal Pradesh due to its low representation in Parliament, the PM added. "When the opportunity to serve the country came my way in 2014, I made up my mind to rid the nation of the Congress mindset. Our mantra is not votes or seats in any state, but 'nation first'. Our single mantra is 'nagrik devo bhava' (the citizen is God)," he stated.
"Modi worships the people for whom nobody has ever asked questions. That is the reason Arunachal Pradesh, which was ignored under Congress rule, since 2014 has been a developmental priority hub," he further added.
Describing the newly announced projects as a case of the "double benefits" of a "double-engine" government, the Prime Minister emphasized the increasing role of the state in power generation. "Arunachal is on the move. The new power projects announced today will turn the state into a big power producer, generate thousands of jobs, and offer low-cost electricity," he added.
"Whether it is ease of education, ease of business, ease of travel, or ease of treatment, our double-engine government is ensuring that life becomes easier for all citizens," he further said.
Two hydropower projects on the Yarjep river in Shi Yomi district and a convention center in Tawang were among the key projects inaugurated. The Tato-I project for ₹1,750 crore will be of 186 MW capacity and produce 802 million units of electricity per annum. The Heo project costing ₹1,939 crore will produce 1,000 million units per annum with a capacity of 240 MW. The two will be developed together by NEEPCO and the state government.
He also laid the foundation stone for the Tawang convention centre, to be constructed under the PM-DevINE scheme at a cost of ₹145.37 crore, with a capacity to accommodate over 1,500 individuals, that will boost the area's tourism and cultural opportunities.
Further, infrastructure development schemes amounting to more than ₹1,290 crore were initiated, ranging across connectivity, healthcare, and fire safety. Modi underlined that the Northeast is no longer afar for Delhi as he mentioned that Union ministers had visited the region over 800 times in the past decade.
"Just like the first colour of the Tricolour is saffron, the first colour of Arunachal too is saffron as it sees the first sunrise."" he added.
Referring to Arunachal Pradesh as the state which witnesses the nation's first sunrise, he said it was also now witnessing the "first rays of development" after decades of under-attention. "Through the Vibrant Village Programme, over 450 border villages in Arunachal now have roads, electricity, internet and tourism facilities. They are turning into new centres of tourism," he said, lauding the people's spirit of oneness and courage.
He condemned previous governments for neglecting border villages, which resulted in migration. "With the Vibrant Village Programme, more than 450 border villages in Arunachal now have roads, electricity, internet and tourism facilities. They are becoming new hubs of tourism," he added. Modi also revealed proposals to build heliports in remote locations under the UDAAN scheme.
"Today, next-generation GST reforms have been implemented across the country, and the GST 'Bachat Utsav' has begun. During the season of festivals, the people have received a double bonanza," he said.
"The GST reforms will reduce kitchen budget, helping women," he said.
He also compared the approach of Congress with that of his government.
"Congress imposed a heavy tax burden on the people, but our government has gradually reduced taxes, giving relief," he said.
Read also| One Day PoK Will Say 'Main Bharat hoon': Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
