PM Modi on Saturday laid the foundation stone of development projects worth Rs 24 thousand crore in Silchar, Assam. During this, in his address, PM Modi talked about the importance of Barak Valley of Assam and said, ‘Silchar is called the gateway of Barak Valley. This is a place which has created a special identity by combining language and culture. The fertile plains of the Barak River, its tea gardens have always inspired farmers, trade routes and educational institutions. This region connects not only to Assam but also to the entire North East and West Bengal. I have come among you to further strengthen this area of Barak Valley in the 21st century.
Barak Valley will become a big logistics and trade hub of North East
PM Modi performed Bhoomi Pujan of Shillong-Silchar Corridor. The cost of this 166 km long corridor will be around Rs 22,860 crore. This will improve connectivity between Assam and Meghalaya. With the help of this corridor, the travel time between Guwahati and Silchar will be reduced from eight and a half hours to just five hours. PM Modi said in his address, ‘Some time ago, the foundation stone of a project worth thousands of crores of rupees was laid and inaugurated here. With every such project like Rail, Agriculture Forest, Barak Valley is going to become a big logistics and trade hub of North East. This is going to create countless employment opportunities for the youth here. I congratulate all of you very much for all these development projects.
He said, ‘For many decades after independence, Congress governments kept the North East away from both Delhi and the heart. Congress, in a way, forgot the North East. But the double engine government of BJP and NDA has connected the North East like this. Today the North East is the center of India’s Act East policy. But Congress had left the North East to itself. Similarly, Congress has played a big role in making Barak Valley also miserable. When the country became independent, Congress set such boundaries that the Barak Valley lost its connection with the sea. The Barak Valley, which was once known as a trade centre, was stripped of its power. Now the double engine government of BJP is continuously working to make Barak Valley a big center of business.
Barak Valley will open the way to the big market of South East Asia
The Prime Minister said, ‘Today the bhoomi pujan of the Silchar-Shillong corridor worth about Rs 24 thousand crore has been done. Where the minds of Congress people are locked, our work begins there. This will be the first access controlled high speed corridor of the North East. Silchar, Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura, all the states are going to be connected through this corridor. Ahead of these three states are Bangladesh and Myanmar and ahead of them is the huge market of South East Asia. Today this valley is laying the foundation stone to connect with a bright future. This will benefit the farmers of the entire North East including Assam. The youth here will. This will strengthen connectivity in the entire region, tourism will benefit and every corner of India will be easily connected to the North East.
Congress made Assam a laboratory for the policy of ‘divide and rule’
PM Modi said, ‘BJP’s mantra is to give priority to those who were left behind in the race of development. Congress governments considered the border areas as the last villages of the country. But we consider border villages as the first villages of the country. For the development of border areas, the next phase of Vibrant Village Program was started from Cachar district itself. Due to this, many villages of Barak Valley are also certain to improve. Congress had only kept the youth of Assam entangled in the vicious cycle of violence and terrorism. Congress made Assam a laboratory of ‘divide and rule’ policy. Today, there is an open sky of opportunities before the youth of Assam. Today every state of the country is teaching a lesson to Congress. Now in the near future, Congress is going to complete its own century of defeat.