Cong accuses PM of turning official event into poll campaign, ignoring Arunachal's issues

Itanagar, Sep 22 (PTI) The Arunachal Pradesh unit of the Congress on Monday criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi for allegedly using his rally here to attack the opposition party and praise himself, instead of addressing the pressing concerns of the state such as unemployment and poor health infrastructure, and turning an official programme into a “BJP election campaign event”.

The party also highlighted the developments made during the Congress regime in the northeastern state, which is now ruled by the BJP.

Addressing a rally at the Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar earlier in the day, Modi alleged that the Congress has an "inherent habit" of abandoning any development work that is difficult, and this caused significant harm to the Northeast.

After unveiling development projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore in the state, the PM also said he knows that the region could not be developed from Delhi, and so, he sends ministers and officers frequently to the region, and he himself came here more than 70 times.

In a statement, the Congress alleged that the Prime Minister “completely ignored” unemployment, poor health and education facilities, flood control, disaster management and repeated Chinese incursions, while turning an official programme into what it called a “BJP election campaign event.” The Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee claimed that crores of public money were spent on the rally, state employees were compelled to attend, and thousands of daily-wage workers were hired to fill the grounds.

“Arunachal Pradesh is not a podium for Assam elections,” the party said, accusing the BJP of misusing government machinery and public funds.

Recounting Arunachal’s political and developmental history, the opposition party asserted that the state’s identity, infrastructure and democratic institutions were all built under successive Congress governments, beginning from the NEFA days.

Till 1972, Arunachal Pradesh was known as the North-East Frontier Agency (NEFA) The Congress highlighted that Jawaharlal Nehru established NEFA and laid the foundations of tribal welfare and frontier infrastructure; Indira Gandhi granted Union Territory status in 1972, created the Legislative Assembly and Public Service Commission, and expanded health, education and connectivity.

It added that Rajiv Gandhi fulfilled the aspirations of the people by granting statehood in 1987 and promoting youth-oriented and decentralised governance; and Dr Manmohan Singh, during his tenure, announced a historic Rs 24,000 crore development package in 2008 that funded the Trans-Arunachal Highway, Donyi Polo Airport, railway lines, district secretariats, sports stadiums, and higher education and health institutions.

The party argued that every major milestone in Arunachal’s journey, statehood, Article 371H protection, universities, roads, airports, hospitals, and hydro-power projects, bore the imprint of Congress leadership.

The BJP, it alleged, has merely claimed credit by laying foundation stones or inaugurating projects initiated by the Congress, while failing to deliver on promises during a decade of “double engine government”.

“Congress built Arunachal Pradesh, while the BJP believes in speeches and propaganda,” the statement said, reaffirming the party’s stand to continue to raise the voice of the people, protect indigenous rights and ensure genuine development for the state. PTI UPL NN