Prime Minister Modi to go all out with development agenda during Tuensang visit

February 20, 2018 499 Views No Comment

Naga Republic News

More than three years after his last visit to Nagaland where he had inaugurated the Hornbill Festival in Kohima on December 1, 2014, now Prime Minister, Narendra Modi is set to make another visit to Nagaland, but this time for the BJP’s election campaign for the upcoming Nagaland Assembly Election slated for February 27. Modi will address an election rally at Tuensang on February 22.

The decision for the Prime Minister to visit a place close to the international boundary with Myanmar is seen as significant. Not only this, but of the 20 candidates fielded by the BJP for the upcoming Nagaland Assembly Election, a major chunk of 8 candidates are from Eastern Nagaland. Tuensang is also the headquarters of the Eastern Nagaland People’s Organization (ENPO), which is spearheading the demand for a separate state of Frontier Nagaland.

“The idea is to also promote the people of Frontier Nagaland. They are comparatively weak living on international border very close to China”, said a highly reliable source to The Naga Republic. And according to the source, Modi’s visit will “send a silent message to China as well that it is not 1962 but it is 2018 and Bharavarsh is fast emerging as world leader”.

The source also went on to add that the Prime Minister’s visit to far flung Tuensang will also give a message to the Naga community that “BJP under Modi stands for weakest of the weaker section of Nagaland without discriminating others”.

Further Prime Minister Modi is expected to go all out on his development agenda for Nagaland. Modi is likely to mention about his pet theme of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas (collective efforts, inclusive growth). It was disclosed that the Prime Minister will not focus on any political themes, whether it is the Naga peace process or the demand for Frontier Nagaland. Instead Modi will focus on infrastructure development, jobs and skill development for youths, healthcare, electricity and good governance.

Sources informed The Naga Republic that the Central government is eager to allocate more development funds for Nagaland. BJP’s National General Secretary, Ram Madhav while addressing a BJP election rally at the 52 Longkhim-Chare Assembly Constituency, had also mentioned that “the Central Government has enough funds to develop the State of Nagaland.”

Nevertheless it was made known that the next government in Nagaland will have to be “honest and deliver” on the development agenda set forth by Modi. “Whoever comes to power will be under greater surveillance of Delhi”.

Meanwhile in tune with the BJP government’s likely course for the North East region, Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju has said that the BJP intends to change the nature of political discourse and put development on the agenda instead of just identity and regionalism. He said this in an exclusive interview with WION News’s Kartikeya Sharma.

Rijiju also mentioned about the importance of the NE region as the PM has set the agenda of Act East policy which can only be implemented by an honest government. “Many governments in this region in past indulged in corruption”, he said.

“Development has never been the agenda in election and it was always about identity, regionalism and emotions. We are bringing back the agenda of good governance”, Rijiju said.