NE's integration with rest of India happened under Modi govt BJP chief Nadda

    Kokrajhar/Rowta/ Dudhnoi, Apr 18 (PTI) Accusing the Congress of neglecting and isolating the North East, BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday said the integration of the region with the rest of the country has taken place under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
    Addressing three back-to-back rallies for NDA candidates in Assam during the day, Nadda maintained that the "politics of appeasement by the Congress" has been replaced by "politics of performance and accountability by Modi."
    He claimed that the "character, definition and way of functioning of politics" has also changed in the country under Modi, who believes in pro-active and pro-responsive governance.
    Nadda alleged that opposition parties are not bothered about people's welfare and are out to save themselves from being indicted in multiple scams.
    Addressing a rally in Kokrajhar, the headquarters of Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), Nadda said peace has returned to the area due to the peace accords signed by the NDA government.
    United People's Party Liberal (UPPL), an ally of the BJP-led coalition in the state, has fielded Jayanta Basumatary from the seat, where elections are due on May 7.
    The BJP chief said, "Congress' policy was to keep North East in isolation and ignorance. It is the governments of Modi and Himanta Biswa Sarma which worked to connect the region with the rest of the country."
    "Ten years back when you visited Delhi, people asked which country you are from. But now integration is complete," Nadda said in the tribal-dominated region.
    Referring to the peace accords signed under the Modi regime, especially with Bodo militant outfits, the BJP chief claimed insurgent attacks and the number of civilian deaths have decreased drastically in the region over the last decade.
    "This was the same Kokrajhar which was known for agitations, ethnic strife, bandhs, blasts, blockades, strikes. Kokrajhar had in a way become the hub of 'andolon'. But under the leadership of Modi and Amit Shah, peace accords were signed," Nadda said, referring to the Bodo peace pact of January 2020.
    He said Rs 1,500 crore has been given by the Modi government under the peace accord.
    On the initiatives for the North East, Nadda said, "The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been removed from 70 per cent of the region."
    "One has to remember the 'bure din' (dark days) of the past to appreciate the present 'acchhe din' (good times)," he maintained.
    He said Rs 5 lakh-crore has been spent for the development of the region in the last five years, adding that the 'Look East Policy' was changed to 'Act East Policy' for "first and fast growth of the North East".
    He claimed that Modi visited the region 70 times in the last 10 years, which was more than the visits of all the previous PMs taken together.
    Union ministers have visited the North East 680 times during the last decade, he said, as he listed the various welfare measures and schemes of the central government.
    Alleging that opposition leaders from various parties have been named in different corruption cases, Nadda said, "Their scams ranged from the deep inside the earth (coal) to space (5G) and everything in between."
    "These people are not bothered about you (the public), but are seeking your votes so that they can save themselves and their families," he claimed, exhorting people to vote for NDA candidates and ensure a third successive term at the Centre.
    "Among the various scams that opposition leaders are named in are laptop and Gomti riverfront development scams of Akhilesh Yadav, fodder and job-for-land scams of Lalu Prasad, liquor scam of Kavitha, ministers of Mamata Banerjee's cabinet named in teachers recruitment scam and disproportionate assets of DMK leader Stalin," Nadda claimed.
    "The opposition leaders are either out on bail or in jail," he said, referring to leaders like Lalu Prasad being out on bail and others like Arvind Kejriwal and Hemant Soren still behind the bars.
    In his second rally at Rowta, Nadda claimed that people of Darrang and Udalguri are now witnessing peace and development under Modi's regime.
    "There was a mentality here that nothing will ever change. The Bodoland movement will continue forever. People will have to live with it," he said as parts of Darrang-Udalguri seat, from which BJP's Dilip Saikia is seeking a second term, comes under the BTR.
    Owing to Modi and Amit Shah's handling of the situation, peace accords were signed with different groups and development ensured in these parts, he claimed.
    Nadda maintained that the Modi government stands for pro-active and pro-responsive governance.
    "The character, definition and way of functioning of politics has changed under Modi," he added, as he urged the people to repose their faith in the BJP-led NDA government for a third successive term at the Centre.
    Addressing a rally in Dudhnoi to support the BJP's Guwahati candidate Bijuli Kalita Medhi, Nadda criticised the Congress, saying, "Previously, politics would incite conflicts among brothers. Modi has changed the definition of politics, it is now of inclusive growth, of performance and accountability. There is no politics of appeasement of the Congress."
    Claiming of positive changes in Assam in the last decade, he added, "Ten years ago, Assam meant bandhs, blockades, bombs. Now it stands for peace, development, prosperity."
    Nadda also mentioned different infrastructural initiatives in the state as well as the region, like rural connectivity, expansion of railway network, new airports and other welfare schemes.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)