NE’s integration with rest of India happened under Modi govt: Nadda

Kokrajhar (Assam), Apr 18 (PTI) BJP president J P Nadda on Thursday claimed that integration of North East with the rest of the country has happened under the Narendra Modi-led government, accusing the Congress of keeping the region in “isolation and ignorance”.

He alleged that the opposition parties are not bothered about people’s welfare, and are out to save themselves from being indicted in multiple scams.

Addressing a rally here for NDA candidate Jayanta Basumatary, Nadda said, “Congress’ policy was to keep North East in isolation and ignorance. It is the Modi and Himanta Biswa Sarma governments which worked to join you with the rest of the country.”

“Ten years ago 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 in the last ten years.

“The Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been removed from 70 per cent of North East,” he added.

“One has to remember the ‘bure din’ (dark days) of the past to appreciate the present ‘ache din’ (good times),” he maintained.

Alleging that opposition leaders from various parties from Congress to RJD to SP to DMK and others have been named in different corruption cases, Nadda said, “Their scams ranged from the deep soils (coal) to space (5G) and everything in between.”

“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 bars.

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.