Connectivity was slowing Arunachal progress; It has been taken care of

Pema Khandu, who has been heading a BJP government in Arunachal Pradesh since December 2016, says the Narendra Modi administration is giving special emphasis on equipping the Northeast and in particular Arunachal Pradesh to develop at par with the rest of the country. Edited excerpts:

Arunachal Pradesh has witnessed political upheaval in last couple of years. Has this affected the pace of development?
Political upheaval or unrest certainly takes a toll over development, be it in any state or country. In a multiparty democracy like ours, it is but unavoidable at times due to differences in ideology, development agenda and various other factors. Unfortunately, Arunachal Pradesh too had its share, but that is past now. We have learned our lesson and took off from where we left. Today, we are a stable and strong government committed to the welfare of the people and development of the state.

We certainly are living up to the expectations of the people though it is too early to claim that every aspiration of the people is being fulfilled. It takes time but we can certainly claim that we are well ahead of the times. You can check out the achievements, programmes and policies initiated by the BJP government in the last one and half years in Arunachal Pradesh. It’s a long list.

Has coming to the BJP from the Congress made any difference?
It certainly has. It’s for the world to see the difference between the Congress and BJP. The pace of progress under Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the last four years has surpassed that of Congress’ 50 years. As far as Arunachal Pradesh is concerned, we are witnessing a sea change in governance. In the erstwhile Congress regime, we the elected leaders had to go to Delhi at least twice or thrice in a month with our issues and requirements. But today, on the Prime Minister’s directions, ministers and officials of the central government visit our state at least once in a month and camp here for days solving our issues.

Our problems are being solved and our requirements met at our doorstep. This is the main difference between the Congress and BJP. The central government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is giving special emphasis on equipping the Northeast and in particular Arunachal Pradesh to develop at par with other states of the country.

Connectivity, which is one issue hampering rapid development in our state, has been taken special care of in all the four spheres of rail, air, road and digital connectivity ... With a robust connectivity network in place, we are looking up to a prosperous and progressive Arunachal Pradesh in the days to come, thanks to the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.

How are the poll preparations?
Along with millions of Indians, I am certain the BJP will regain power and Narendra Modiji will come back as the Prime Minister. In Arunachal too I am confident of a thumping victory for our people have seen the love and concern Modiji has for our state and the Northeast.