Nagaland needs a stable govt, says PM Modi

KOHIMA: In his first visit to the remote town of Tuensang in Nagaland, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said the Northeast was at the centre of the “Act East Policy” of his government and development of the region was integral to the progress of the nation.

“Unless the Northeast is developed, the dream of having a developed country will not be achieved. Which is why the BJP government is paying special attention to the requirement of the region. If the BJP-NDPP alliance comes to power, we will bring development to your villages,” he said.

“Nagaland needs a stable government with a strong leadership,” Modi said, referring to the frequent change of guard in the state.

Reiterating the “transformation through transportation” message he had given in his last visit to Meghalaya, Modi said, “Connectivity is a challenge in Nagaland. We are working towards it. In less than four years, we have added 500km of national highways. We have planned to invest over Rs10,000 crore for the development of roads in Nagaland.”

He announced that Rs3,000 crore had been sanctioned for Dimapur-Kohima rail connectivity.

He said the Centre had already sanctioned Rs1,800 crore for the Kohima Smart City project. The Naga “political issue”, will be resolved soon, Modi said. “Solution of the Naga political problem will strengthen the democracy. Therefore, we will make efforts to solve the problem,” he added.

The NDPP-BJP alliance’s decision to choose Tuensang as the venue for Modi’s rally is significant in many ways. First, Tuensang is the centre of the Eastern Naga People’s Organization (ENPO) that has been demanding a separate Frontier Nagaland state.