Excelsior Correspondent
NEW DELHI/GUWAHATI, MARCH 14: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) Development of North Eastern Region (DoNER), MoS PMO, Personnel, Public Grievances, Pensions, Atomic Energy and Space, Dr. Jitendra Singh said here today that plucking tea leaves off-season will not help Congress.
Making a dig at Priyanka Gandhi’s visit to tea gardens where she got herself photographed plucking tea leaves during off – season time in a vain hope that this will beget votes, Dr. Jitendra Singh during an interview to a leading national TV channel, said that what the Congress dynasts fail to realize is that by enacting such acts inspired by Bollywood movies, they are actually belittling the people of Assam by mocking their sensibilities and sensitivities. BJP, on the other hand, has remained connected to the grassroot people of Assam and has the pulse of the ground realities, he said.
This, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, is yet again an evidence of the indifferent attitude with which the Congress has treated the people of Assam for the last 65 years till Prime Minister Narendra Modi took over at the Centre in 2014 and placed the entire North Easter Region including Assam on the highest priority of the government. During the successive Congress regimes, he said, a Central Minister rarely visited Assam and whenever he did so, the common people referred to him as a minister from India, whereas under PM Modi not only the barriers were broken but the intermingling was so intimate that not a single day passed when one or the other Central Minister was not touring the region.
He said, the Ministry of Development of North Eastern Region (MDoNER) was lying dormant for over six decades but in the last seven years its presence is felt in every nook and corner of the region.
The people, said Dr. Jitendra Singh, have made up their mind to bring BJP to power for the second time. This reality is now being realized even by the opposition parties , which is why eight parties have come together to face BJP.
When asked about the alliance between Congress and AIUDF made by Badruddin, Dr. Jitendra Singh said, there are inner contradictions and confusion in the Congress Party over this alliance and therefore it is not going to pay them any dividends. He said, let’s not forget that while Tarun Gogoi was the Chief Minister of Assam for fifteen years he had vehemently rejected suggestions to enter into such an alliance. There are eight opposition parties that have come together to form ‘Mahajot’ alliance because they have conceded that none of them can face BJP single handedly.
Dr. Jitendra Singh said, people can see the contrast of the rapid development and restoration of peace that happened in the last seven years.
Today, he said, visitors from outside feel rejoiced to drive on highways and see incredible progress being made in laying of rail tracks and airports whereas in the past, Assam made news only for insurgency, corruption and misgovernance.
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