GUWAHATI: Buoyed after his party registered an emphatic victory in the country and Northeast, BJP leader and NEDA convenor, Himanta Biswa Sarma believes that the anti-Citizenship Amendment Bill (CAB) agitation was started on a “wrong notion” by those who led it, which in fact turned the tide in favour of the saffron party.
“CAB has had a positive effect on BJP. It was about giving shelter to your Hindu, Jain, Buddhist, Sikh brothers and sisters persecuted for following their religion in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In fact I had spoken to people on the legislation and they asked me not to compromise and go for it. So, the agitation was based on a wrong notion,” he said.
Throwing light on what worked for the party in Northeast and how he connected with the alliance across the region, Sarma, who is recognized as the face of BJP in Northeast, said t when a Prime Minister gives so much importance to a region, all the workers get a boost.
“So much importance was given to the karyakartas (party workers) and overall development process of the Northeast by PM Modi and Amit Shah…I am very happy that because of their attention, today Northeast is at the forefront of the national media and the national narrative,” he said.
Sarma believes there are more good times for the NDA and NEDA in the next five years.
“Finally, we have got MPs from Northeast who believe in the same political ideology and who are under one leader. The region is today fortunate to have a block of 19 to 20 MPs who are dedicated to the development of Northeast. Along with the parliamentarians and the eight states, we are confident that the Northeast will now be in the national mainstream,” he said.
The NEDA convenor also said that the electorate with this mandate in favour of BJP and NDA has shown their love and respect for PM Modi and his single-most intention of bringing Northeast to the national mainstream