Sonamura: Saying his government was working to develop northeast India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Thursday that Tripura remained backward due to 25 years of Left “misrule”.

“The BJP government at the Centre is working with all sincerity for all round progress of northeast India. But Tripura remained backward and people of the state remained underdeveloped due to misrule of Left parties for the past 25 years,” he told an election rally here.

Sonamura is located around 50 km south-west of Agartala.

He said the Vajpayee government had set up the Development of North Eastern (NE) Region Ministry to develop the region. His government also gave top priority to develop the infrastructure of the region and to improve the lives of the people.

Modi said a Rs1,300 crore National Bamboo Mission had been launched to utilise the huge bamboo resources in the northeast.

Chief Minister Manik Sarkar’s Dhanpur Assembly constituency falls in the Sonamura Sub-Division.

Giving the slogan “Cholo Paltai” (Go for Change), the Prime Minister urged the people to vote the BJP to power to transform Tripura.

“Voting for BJP’s lotus symbol will be a punishment for the Left Front government in the Feb.18 Assembly elections as during its 25 years of misrule people did not get anything, poverty went up and backwardness widened.” Criticising Sarkar, Modi said: “under his (Sarkar’s) white kurta there is a dark side. His government cheated people by giving poor wages when the people of other parts of the country got higher wages and the government employees got higher salaries.