In Arunachal, Amit Shah recalls ‘helplessness’ of Nehru in 1962

BORDUMSA/ IMPHAL: The Modi government brought peace, development to the northeast, BJP president Amit Shah said while campaigning in Arunachal on Friday ahead of simultaneous elections on April 11 for two Lok Sabha seats and the 60-member assembly. At a rally in Manipur later in the day, he alleged former state CM Okram Ibobi Singh had “sold all Manipur resources”. Manipur votes for one of its two Lok Sabha seats in the first phase.


In Arunachal’s Changlang district, Shah exuded confidence BJP would be reelected at the Centre, saying it was the Modi government that brought “peace and development” to the region “where militant activities were rampant even five years ago”. He said BJP was committed to act against cross-border terrorism and insurgency in the region. He insisted that “political stability returned to Arunachal after BJP formed the state government”.

Describing Arunachal’s people as ‘patriots’, he said this Himalayan state withstood the Chinese onslaught in 1962 even when then PM Nehru, in a statement, expressed his helplessness for Assam.

Shah said Modi has instructed his ministers to visit NE states every fortnight and resolve the region’s problems. “All parts of the northeast now have air and rail connectivity. In Arunachal alone, government sanctioned Rs 50,000 crore to develop roads,” he said. Shah also said the state was the first in the northeast to get its two cities —

Itanagar

and Pasighat — into the list of smart cities besides air services under the UDAAN scheme.

Hitting out at Congress, he said, “When Modiji took action against Pakistansponsored terrorist groups by ordering an air strike…, a pall of gloom descended on Pakistan and Rahul’s face.”