Union Home Minister and BJP’s star campaigner Amit Shah claimed on April 15 that the Central government under the stewardship of Prime Minister Narendra Modi had launched a series of initiatives for the development of tribal people and overall growth of the northeast. He highlighted the increase in budgetary allocation for tribal-oriented programmes as an example of the government’s efforts for the community.
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Speaking at a public rally at Kumarghat in Unakoti district in support of BJP’s East Tripura (ST) Lok Sabha constituency candidate Kriti Devi Debbarman, the Union Home Minister outlined the development initiatives for people in Tripura and the northeast in general. He criticised the Congress and the CPI(M) for causing turmoil and unrest in the State, accusing them of instigating violence and creating rifts between communities.
Mr. Shah stated that the Modi government had allocated ₹90,000 crore for Tripura in the past 10 years, including ₹20,000 crore for infrastructure development, ₹17,000 crore for roads, ₹2,000 crore for railways and ₹1,000 crore for airport development. He appealed for votes for the BJP in the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in both East Tripura and West Tripura constituencies, urging people to vote for the lotus symbol and make Mr. Modi the Prime Minister for a third term in the interest of development, progress and peace.
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Contribution of kings
The Home Minister also highlighted the contributions of the erstwhile kings to the development of Tripura, citing it as a reason for nominating a candidate from the royal family for the East Tripura Lok Sabha constituency.
He accused the Left and the Congress of encouraging infiltration from across the border, but stated that effective border management and completion of border fencing had almost contained the issue.
The rally was also attended by Chief Minister Manik Saha, former Chief Minister and West Tripura Lok Sabha constituency candidate Biplab Kumar Deb and several leaders from the BJP and coalition partners.