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Union Minister Kiren Rijiju jibed at the Congress on Friday and said that what the party failed to do in 65 years, the BJP did within a decade.
Speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that the reason the BJP has flourished in the Northeast in the past decade is that everyone is "attracted to what Prime Minister Narendra Modi has to offer for the future of the region." Rijiju swiped at the Congress, asserting that what the Congress could not do in 65 years, the BJP has done in 10. While speaking at the India Today Conclave on Friday, Kiren Rijiju said that the regional parties have trust and faith in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership. Speaking about the North-East Democratic Alliance (NEDA) with India Today TV Consulting Editor Rajdeep Sardesai, the Union Minister said that the BJP doesn't gobble up the regional parties and instead gives them space to grow. "When I got elected as a Member of Parliament, there were no BJP MLA, barring a few in Assam, in Northeast. They have trust and faith in the leadership of Prime Minister Modi. That is how the politics of the Northeast revolve around Modi and the BJP-led NEDA. This alliance is where we basically take a lead role, but we don't want to demolish the ideologies of the regional party," Rijiju said. "They (the regional parties) will never feel being under any kind of pressure or threat that we will gobble up the smaller parties. It's a working system where the BJP has to be in the forefront because we are in power here (Centre) and Prime Minister Modi is the leader, but all regional parties are extremely comfortable with the BJP," the Union Parliamentary and Minority Affairs Minister said at the Conclave," he added. Rijiju slammed the Congress for failing the region for 65 years, saying connectivity development has been noticed in a decade. The Tamang-led Sikkim Krantikari Morcha (SKM) won 31 of 32 Assembly seats in the 2024 elections. He became the Chief Minister of the northeastern state for the second time. During the conversation with Sardesai, he ensured that the coherence between Sikkim and the NDA-led Centre is seamless. Sikkim Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang also addressed the India Today conclave and said, "I am the BJP's brother. They (the BJP) are my big brother." He also took a barb at the Opposition while showering praise on PM Modi. Talking about the infrastructural work that has happened in the state since Modi became the Prime Minister, Tamang said that prior to 2014, "the Northeast was a political platform," but now, the region has been a "developmental platform" Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang said an alternative road to NH10 will soon be built to improve connectivity in the state. He also said a rail line that would connect Sikkim directly to the major cities and slash any need for a stopover in Assam would be ready by 2027. "Since Modi has been in power, there has been no problem with connectivity in Sikkim," the Chief Minister said, highlighting that Sikkim got its first airport since PM Modi came to power. However, with the advent of tourism comes the challenge of deforestation. Tamang assured that his government is working on preserving the forest cover of the hill state, and it has been increasing. Rijiju, meanwhile, emphasised that development cannot only be done by the government. "We often make the mistake that everything has to be done by the government. The government is a catalyst, a responsible stakeholder, but the whole issue is of the people. If people are aware of the responsibilities, of the obligations, then all issues can be solved," the Union Minister said. He also praised the Sikkim Chief Minister, appreciating his efforts to stop deforestation and preserve the greenery of his state. Rijiju also said that despite having larger forest cover than Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh has seen its resources degrade faster because people have misused them. Calling the nearly two-year-long Manipur violence an "unfortunate incident", Rijiju stressed that PM Modi has been taking cognisance of the same and, along with his ministers, has been diligent in bringing forth peace in the state. "This Prime Minister is the only Prime Minister who has gone to the root and to ensure that the problems being faced by the people of Manipur will be settled and solved for years to come," Rijiju said at the India Today Conclave. The Union Minister, giving an example, said that in the past, when there was a civil war-like situation in Manipur due to ethnic violence, not only did the ministers at the time provide a short reply in Parliament when asked about the same, but the Home Minister did not even visit the state. "Home Minister Amit Shah went and stayed in Manipur for four days and appealed to the warring factions to surrender their arms. Without dialogue, you cannot bring in peace. Now, when the presidential rule was imposed, the Governor made an appeal to surrender arms. (Accordingly), arms are being surrendered, and good news (from Manipur) is coming," he said. Rijiju, however, cautioned not to "extrapolate things into different situations". "This is not the fight of people against the state. The government of India cannot use arms or force to bring peace. You have to appeal. In the past, it was a struggle against the Indian state. But I am very hopeful that with the hands-on approach by the Prime Minister, the Home Minister is driving, and with the support of all factions of the state of Manipur, we will bring peace and normalcy back," he said. (ANI)
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