Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the entire northeastern states have suffered a lot under the rule of opposition political parties doing vote bank politics. He also highlighted that the BJP government’s approach to bring forward those states which have been neglected for a long time.
He inaugurated several development projects in Aizawl, Mizoram, including the Bairabi-GiRam new railway line, which will first connect the northeast state to the Indian Railway Network.
Prime Minister Modi said, “We have been working for the development of the Northeast for the last 11 years. This area has been becoming the development engine of India. In the last few years, many states of the Northeast have come on the rail map of India.”
Inaugurating the first railway line of Mizoram, Bairabi-Garrang Line through live video conferencing, Prime Minister Modi accused the Congress of ignoring the Northeast for fleeing seats and votes.
PM Modi said in his address, “For a long time some political parties have been doing vote bank politics in our country. His focus has always been in places where there were more votes and seats. The entire Northeast has suffered a lot from this attitude, including states like Mizoram. But our attitude is completely different. Those who were previously neglected are now. Those who were ever the leading, they are now in the main stream.”
Prime Minister Modi could not reach the inauguration site due to bad weather and inaugurated the line through a live video while staying at Lengpui Airport in Aizawl.
On this occasion, Prime Minister Modi also flagged off Sararang (Aizawl)-Delhi (Anand Vihar Terminal) Rajdhani Express, Sararang-Guhati Express and Sararang-Kolkata Express.
The Parliament of Mizoram has only one MP Richard Vanlahmangaiha of Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM). In the 2014 elections, CL Ruala of Congress won this seat. Currently, ZPM Chief Minister Lalduhoma has an ordinary majority and his party has 27 out of 40 seats in the assembly. BJP has two seats and Congress has one seat.
Prior to ZPM, the Indian National Congress led the state government from 2008 to 2018, while the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) led the central government.
Highlighting the development of the infrastructure launched by the Center, Prime Minister Modi said, “This is not just a railway connection, but it is the lifeline of transport. It will bring revolutionary changes in the lives and livelihood of the people of Mizoram. Mizoram farmers and businesses will be able to reach more markets across the country.”
Describing the inauguration of the railway line as a “historic day”, he said, “From today, Aizawl will be on the railway map of India. A few years ago, I had the opportunity to lay the foundation stone of the Isol railway line. Today we proudly dedicate it to the people of the country.”
He further explained how the Northeast is becoming a major startup center, which is strengthening the talented youth of the state.
He said, “Mizoram is full of talented youth. Our job is to empower them. Our government has already started 11 A-Club Residential Schools here. Work is going on to start six more schools. Our northeastern region is also becoming a major center of startups. I am happy that about 4,500 startups and 25 incubators are working in this field. Mizores are working in this field. And are creating new opportunities for yourself and others. “
During the inauguration, Minister Vaishnav explained how the budget for the Railways in the Northeast under the leadership of PM Modi has increased five times.
The 51 km long barrabi-gaard-line, constructed at a cost of more than Rs 8,000 crore, will connect Aizawl to the National Railway Network for the first time after independence. This construction is an engineering miracle with 143 bridges and 45 tunnels built on the challenging terrain, one of which is even higher than the Bridge Qutub Minar.
The Prime Minister also laid the foundation stone of several road projects including Aizawl bypass, Theinzole-Siyalasuk and Khancon-Rongura roads. Under the PM-Dewine Scheme, the 45 km long isol bypass to be built at a cost of more than Rs 500 crore is aimed at facilitating urban traffic and improving connectivity.
The Prime Minister will also lay the foundation stone of the Chhimatuipui River Bridge on Longtalai-Sihaha Road, which will ensure contact in all seasons, reduce travel time and will facilitate cross-border trade under the Kaladan multimodal transit structure.
Later later, Prime Minister Modi will visit Manipur, Assam, West Bengal and Bihar from 13 to 15 September (Saturday to Monday), where he will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone of Rs 71,850 crore projects.
