New Delhi: Earlier in the afternoon, Modi addressed a rally in Dimapur, Nagaland where BJP is in power with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. He attacked the previous Congress governments and said they considered the Northeast as ATMs, adding that the entire region was, therefore, punishing the party for its “sins”.
He said: “I can sense huge support for the BJP and the NDPP… because we are working tirelessly to develop the northeast. The Congress and its partners took votes but forgot to do anything for the people. There was always political instability during Congress rule.”
He added the NDA government had changed the political thinking for the Northeast. “Today, the central government is giving free ration to thousands of families in Nagaland. This is happening because we don’t consider the eight states of the Northeast as ATMs. For us, the 8 Northeast states are ‘Ashta Lakshmi’,” he said.
#WATCH | Some people who have been rejected by the country are immersed in sadness and are now saying 'Modi teri kabar khudegi' but the people of the country are saying 'Modi tera kamal khilega': PM Narendra Modi, in Shillong pic.twitter.com/ZfyKaPg2F9
— ANI (@ANI) February 24, 2023
Earlier in the afternoon, Modi addressed a rally in Dimapur, Nagaland where BJP is in power with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP), led by Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio. He attacked the previous Congress governments and said they considered the Northeast as ATMs, adding that the entire region was, therefore, punishing the party for its “sins”.
He said: “I can sense huge support for the BJP and the NDPP… because we are working tirelessly to develop the northeast. The Congress and its partners took votes but forgot to do anything for the people. There was always political instability during Congress rule.”
He added the NDA government had changed the political thinking for the Northeast. “Today, the central government is giving free ration to thousands of families in Nagaland. This is happening because we don’t consider the eight states of the Northeast as ATMs. For us, the 8 Northeast states are ‘Ashta Lakshmi’,” he said.
In Shillong, he repeated how the interests of Meghalaya were never given priority. “Meghalaya today wants a people-first government instead of a family-first one. Today, the lotus flower has become a symbol of Meghalaya’s strength, peace and stability,” Modi said.
The NDA is in power in Meghalaya with Chief Minister Conrad Sangma’s Nationalist People’s Party.
Both states go to polls on 27 February, and the results will be declared on 2 March, along with Tripura’s.
Also read: Three-term Nagaland CM, serial BJP ally — the importance of being Neiphiu Rio