New Delhi: Tripura and the entire northeast have witnessed a "transformation" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at power in the Centre, the BJP said on Tuesday, expressing confidence that it will retain power in the poll-bound state.
"The 'Look East' policy of the Congress was so hollow that it never touched the ground realities. It was Prime Minister Modi who actually brought a transformation by replacing that policy with an action-oriented 'Act East' policy. His model of 'HIRA' will ensure further prosperity in Tripura," Union minister Sarbananda Sonowal told a press conference here.
The term "HIRA" is used by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to refer to the government's thrust on highways, internet, roads and airports.
Not only nationally, but Tripura has now earned fame internationally too as its exports and strong infrastructure have put it on the path to development, Sonowal said.
Attacking the Left and the Congress, which have joined hands against the ruling BJP in Tripura, the tribal leader alleged that terrorism, drugs and corruption had affected the northeastern state under their four decades of collective rule as they had neither policies nor any intention to develop the region.
The BJP has not only policies and intention but also a great leader in Modi, who has worked to ensure social security and economic uplift for the people of Tripura, he said.
During the Congress rule at the Centre, the northeast was never given due significance in the national agenda as it remained backwards, Sonowal added.
At the press conference, the Public Policy Research Centre, a thinktank affiliated to the BJP, released a report, claiming that the farmers' income saw a massive rise under the saffron party's rule in Tripura since 2018 and piped drinking water has reached more than 58 per cent households in the state from the earlier less than 3.5 per cent. Public Policy Research Centre's director Sumeet Bhasin released the report.
The 60-member Tripura Assembly is scheduled to go to polls on February 16 and the counting of votes will be taken up on March 2.
