Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday lambasted the Congress for lack of development in Assam even after the party had ruled the state for most of the time post-Independence and the state giving a prime minister in the form of Dr Manmohan Singh to the country who was in power for ten long years.
Addressing two back-to-back mammoth rallies in Kokrajhar and Guwahati in the poll-bound Assam, Modi said, “The Congress party has been ruling Assam continuously for the last 15 years and the previous Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh who represented Assam in Parliament , was in power for ten years. In fact, Congress has ruled the state for most of the time post-Independence. The ruling Congress by now should have been able to solve all the problems of the state. Ironically, the people of Assam still have a long list of problems that have remained unresolved. Who is responsible for such a sorry state of affairs in Assam ?”
“They (Congress) haven’t been able to solve problems of the state in the last 15 years of their continuous rule and they demand that I solve all the problems within 15 months. Isn’t it a ploy to mislead you? But , I know you can’t be misled by such misinformation campaign. You have experienced 15 years of Congress rule and you have seen 15 months of our rule in the Centre and you can very well judge the performance by yourself,” Modi said.
Though he did not announce a Rs 1000 crore special development package in Kokrajhar rally for development of Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC) areas as demanded by the BJP’s new allay, Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) which is in power in the BTC, Modi announced that sufficient volume of fund would be provided by the Centre to facilitate massive and all-encompassing infrastructure development of not only BTC areas but the entire Northeast region so that the region could be brought at par with the developed regions in the rest of the country. He pointed out that it was only development, development and development that would solve all the
problems plaguing the people of backwards areas like the BTC in the country. He promised massive
development in infrastructure sectors like roads and railways as well as in education sector in the Bodo heartland of Assam.
Quoting late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, who had said that for every rupee one that is sent from the central government, only 15 paisa reaches the place where it is meant for, Modi said he was right and “we cannot allow it”.“Delhi now asks state governments for accounts. They have to account for every rupee spent. Looting of people’s money has to stop,” the Prime Minister said.
Assam government and several other states in the Northeast get perturbed whenever he sought accountability of the development funds, Modi said.
“Assam government has to give us details where the money meant for development has gone. All governments in the Northeast have to give full accounts. Because of this reason, these people don’t like me. But I am not bothered. Whether they like me or not. I work for the country, I work for development,” he said.
Modi said ever since the NDA government came to power, the ministry of development of North Eastern region has taken several initiatives and now the entire ministry visit every N-E sates once in a month to take stock of how the money provided by the Centre had been spent.
Modi today promised that the Central Institute Technology in Kokrajhar would be upgraded to a deemed university within one year and re-opening of now defunct Rupsri airport in BTC area for the Armed forces and general people as soon as land issues were settled by the state government.
He also promised to fulfill two long-standing demands of the BPF – ST status to Bodo tribe people living in hill areas in Assam and Karbi tribe people living in plain areas of Assam. He said the matter was in final stage.
Earlier, the BPF leader and BTC’s chief executive member Hagrama Mohilary while welcoming the Prime Minister promised that the BPF would play a key role in ensuring that BJP formed the next government in Assam after 2016 assembly polls. He said the people of Bodoland areas were expecting announcement of a Rs 1000 crore special development package for the BTC area by the Prime Minister in Tuesday’s rally.
