Nagaland Election 2023: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday claimed that the Congress used the Northeast as an ATM, while the BJP considers the eight states of the region as 'Ashtalakshmi' (eight forms of Goddess Lakshmi) and is working for its peace and development. Addressing an election rally at Chumoukedima near Dimapur, he said the NDA is striving to bring permanent peace in Nagaland so that Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958 is completely lifted from the state. PM Modi attended the rally of the BJP-NDPP, which are the only two parties to have entered into a pre-poll alliance.
The Prime Minister opined that for BJP, secularism means "sabka saath, sabka vikas".'Sabka saath, sabka vikas' is secularism for us. For BJP the country and its citizens come first," he said in Tura, Meghalaya.
"Congress leaders in Delhi never looked towards Nagaland, and never gave importance to stability and prosperity in the state. Congress always ran the Nagaland government on remote control from Delhi. From Delhi to Dimapur, Congress indulged in familial politics," said PM Modi at the rally.
Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio felicitated PM Modi ahead of his public address in Dimapur on Friday.
"Today, the Central government is giving free ration to thousands of families in Nagaland. This is happening because we don't consider the 8 states of the Northeast as ATMs as the Congress party did. For us, the 8 Northeast states are 'Ashta Lakshmi'," he added.
"After many decades, there was no incident of violence during Assembly elections in Tripura as there is a BJP government in the state," said PM Modi in Nagaland today.
Announcing Modi's visit, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said visits by important BJP leaders to the poll-bound state shows the party's concern for Nagaland's future and its relation with the Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP).
BJP president JP Nadda and Union Home Minister Amit Shah addressed election rallies in Nagaland over the past one week. The BJP-NDPP alliance will contest in all the seats of the 60-member House.
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