India News | BJP Does Not Want to Drag NE Problems for Political Benefits: Amit Shah
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday claimed that the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance has been able to form governments in all the states of the region as the saffron party is focused on resolving longstanding problems such as border disputes, unlike the "previous regimes which dragged these issues for their political benefits".
Guwahati, May 10 (PTI) Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday claimed that the BJP-led North East Democratic Alliance has been able to form governments in all the states of the region as the saffron party is focused on resolving longstanding problems such as border disputes, unlike the "previous regimes which dragged these issues for their political benefits".
He accused the previous governments in the region of keeping the "northeast divided for their political benefits".
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The withdrawal of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act from most parts of the northeast region is a reflection of the BJP's endeavour to create an atmosphere of peace and development, he said.
The Centre had announced reduction of the disturbed areas imposed under the AFSPA in Nagaland, Assam and Manipur from April 1 after decades.
Addressing a programme for the first anniversary celebrations of the second BJP-led government in Assam and also the foundation stone laying ceremony for five projects here, Shah said, "In 2015, when we had started campaigning in a bid to form a government in Assam, late Congress leader Tarun Gogoi had asked where is the BJP?"
"Now I want to tell the Congress that the BJP is here in Assam. A victory in a poll may be due to luck, but repeated win in elections proves that people have confidence in us."
He also said the "saffron party-led NEDA is in power in all the eight north eastern states and this has been possible as we did not want to tangle problems of the region. We wanted to resolve them".
Shah alleged that "the previous governments had kept the northeast region divided over various issues for political benefits".
He also took a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his poll promise of removing the AFSPA.
"I want to tell Rahul baba that you had said if the Congress came to power in the 2019 polls, the AFSPA would be repealed but your promise was an act of appeasement. We worked on creating an atmosphere of peace where the AFSPA could be removed," Shah said.
Assam's various problems of over four decades are in the process of being resolved under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his predecessor Sarbananda Sonowal during the last six years of the BJP-led dispensation in the state, he said.
"Youths of Assam are no longer carrying guns and petrol bombs. They are now carrying laptops and starting start-ups. This is the path of development that the Modi government has envisaged for the entire north east," the Union home minister said.
Progress has been made in resolving border disputes among the north eastern states, he said.
"Around 60 per cent of border disputes between Assam and Meghalaya" have already been resolved, and it is hoped that "a full resolution" of the same issue between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh will be possible by August 15 this year, he said.
On resolving the state's flood problem, Shah asked the chief minister to form a panel, comprising government representatives, experts from IIT-Guwahati and others, to take forward a process initiated by the Shillong-based North Eastern Space Application Centre for carrying out a study for judicious management of water bodies of the entire northeast region.
Shah also highlighted the work being done to improve the connectivity and healthcare sectors in Assam.
He also mentioned the state government's effort to fight against drug menace, cattle smuggling, rhino poaching, and solve land encroachment issues and bring militant outfits to the peace process.
Among the five projects for which foundation stones were laid were a revamped and modern Guwahati Police Reserve at a cost of Rs 544.54 crore, and Guwahati Police Commissionerate at Rs 95 crore.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)