Praising its party's governance in India’s north-eastern states, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that permanent progress and peace are the base of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) policies in Nagaland.
Addressing an electoral rally in the state, Modi said he saw a lot of public support for the BJP-NDPP (Bharatiya Janata Party-National Democratic Progressive Party) government.
“We worked hard to ensure that the culture and talent of the north-east can be utilized to its full potential," he said.
"We have tried to close the gap between the North-east and Delhi. In the past nine years, I have come amidst you all dozens of times. Even ministers have regularly visited the state,” Modi said.
Criticizing the opposition Congress party and its previous government in Nagaland, Modi said there was political instability in the state during that time. He alleged that Congress used to control the north-east remotely from Delhi and would siphon off money meant for the state's development.
In 2018, the BJP-NDPP fought the state elections with a 40:20 seat-sharing formula and won the election. This year the BJP and NDPP are trying the same seat-sharing arrangement.
Congress failed to win a single seat in the 2018 elections. This year, the party has announced candidates for 23 of the total 60 seats so far.