Shah: Govt replaced briefcase politics with development

Blaming the previous Congress dispensations for the lack of development in the northeastern states, BJP president Amit Shah today said the Modi government has ushered in peace and progress in the region, whose narrative has changed from "briefcase politics to development politics".

In his tweets after addressing the third conclave of the North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), a BJP-led political formation which includes several regional parties, Shah said development of the region was the top priority of the Modi government and noted that one central minister visited it every fortnight to assess developmental works and to see what more could be done.

"Under the Congress regime, the most prosperous region of Northeast, with immense potential of tourism, was only known for corruption and lack of development but today under PM Narendra Modi's leadership the narrative has changed from 'briefcase' politics to development politics," he said.

The GDP of the Northeast, which was among the highest in the country before Independence, slipped far behind under the Congress rule, Shah alleged.

"Why did Northeast lag post Independence? It was all because of the misdeeds and corruption of Congress governments," he claimed.

The BJP president said the goal of NEDA was not just to make the Northeast "Congress-free" but to bring this region into the mainstream of the country's development.

The Northeast has a very important role to play in the country's development and the NEDA is playing a significant role in developing and transforming this region of India, he said.

Barring the Congress-ruled Mizoram, the BJP and its allies, which are parts of NEDA, are in power in all other states of the region -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Tripura, Manipur, Nagaland and Sikkim.

The region sends 25 members to the Lok Sabha and Shah has set a target of winning 21 of them in the next general election due in 2019.