Hindustan Times ST (Jaipur)

BJP ended culture of corruption in N-E: Shah in Arunachal

- Press Trust of India

NAMSAI: Union home minister Amit Shah on Sunday claimed that the BJP has ended the “culture of corruption” in the Northeast and funds meant for developmen­t work now get percolated to the last man, while middlemen siphoned off most of the amount during Congress rule.

He alleged that the region had remained neglected during 50 years of Congress rule and asserted that it came on the fast track of developmen­t only after Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014.

Addressing a public rally in Namsai district, Shah lashed out at the Congress for questionin­g Modi on what he did for the region, saying that the grand old party won’t be able to see developmen­t if it keeps its eyes closed.“Rahul Gandhi, open your eyes and discard Italian glasses and wear Indian ones. Then only, you could see what developmen­t Modi has brought to the region, which your party failed to do in 50 years,” the home minister said.

“Developmen­t funds for the region were siphoned off by middlemen during the Congress rule. But with the NDA under the leadership of PM Modi coming to power in 2014, the culture of corruption has ended and every single penny is being utilised with utter transparen­cy. The PM has ensured that developmen­t funds get percolated down to the last man,” Shah said. He claimed that the Northeast was earlier known for militancy due to faulty policies of the previous government but now peace prevails as the Centre has signed peace deals with most of the insurgent outfits.

“As many as 9,600 militants in the region have surrendere­d and joined the mainstream in the last eight years. Youths of the Northeast are no longer interested in gun culture and are now launching start-ups. The Centre is committed to bringing peace and developmen­t to the region,” he said.

Referring to the decades-old boundary dispute between Arunachal Pradesh and Assam, the home minister compliment­ed the chief ministers of the two states for starting the process in the right earnest.

“Chief ministers Pema Khandu and Himanta Biswa Sharma are working meticulous­ly to resolve the issue amicably and I am sure it will be resolved soon,” he said. Arunachal Pradesh, which was carved out of Assam, was initially a Union territory. It became a fullfledge­d state in 1987. The two states share an 804.1-km-long border. The boundary issue, which originated during the reorganisa­tion of the northeaste­rn states, is now pending in the Supreme Court.

 ?? ?? Amit Shah
Amit Shah

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