BJP MP asks: Why no NE in Rahul yatra

The minister said that for years the northeastern states have been ignored and kept at the periphery, leading to militancy. “There is no terrorism now, only tourism,” he said. He said that incidents of militancy went down by 74% after Modi became the prime minister, with over 8,000 militants surrendering.

Assam Pabitra Margherita, Rahul Gandhi, Parliament, Rajya Sabha, Bharat Jodo Yatra

Rahul Gandhi outside Parliament on Wednesday. (Express Photo by Praveen Khanna)

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Flagging the Centre’s push for development in the northeastern states, BJP Rajya Sabha member from Assam Pabitra Margherita took a dig at Rahul Gandhi saying that his idea of India excludes the 4.5 crore people living in the seven states to the east of West Bengal.

He said, “Bharat Jodo is a topic that is being glorified by the Congress people… The highest leader of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, the centre of attraction, he tweeted officially – very interesting and very heartening for northeastern people – I quote: ‘There is strength in our nation, our union of culture, our union of diversity, our union of languages, our union of people, our union of states from Kashmir to Kerala, from Gujarat to West Bengal, India is beautiful in all its colours. Don’t insult the spirit of India,’ I unquote. Arey, Northeast kidhar hai bhai; hum bhi hain (where is the Northeast, we are also there).”

The tweet Margherita referred to was by Rahul Gandhi from February last year.

The minister said that for years the northeastern states have been ignored and kept at the periphery, leading to militancy. “There is no terrorism now, only tourism,” he said. He said that incidents of militancy went down by 74% after Modi became the prime minister, with over 8,000 militants surrendering.

Margherita said, “For the people whose Indian concept does not include Northeast, their Bharat Jodo is a joke for the northeastern people.”

Anonna Dutt

Anonna Dutt is a Principal Correspondent who writes primarily on health at the Indian Express. She reports on myriad topics ranging from the growing burden of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension to the problems with pervasive infectious conditions. She reported on the government’s management of the Covid-19 pandemic and closely followed the vaccination programme. Her stories have resulted in the city government investing in high-end tests for the poor and acknowledging errors in their official reports. Dutt also takes a keen interest in the country’s space programme and has written on key missions like Chandrayaan 2 and 3, Aditya L1, and Gaganyaan. She was among the first batch of eleven media fellows with RBM Partnership to End Malaria. She was also selected to participate in the short-term programme on early childhood reporting at Columbia University’s Dart Centre. Dutt has a Bachelor’s Degree from the Symbiosis Institute of Media and Communication, Pune and a PG Diploma from the Asian College of Journalism, Chennai. She started her reporting career with the Hindustan Times. When not at work, she tries to appease the Duolingo owl with her French skills and sometimes takes to the dance floor. ... Read More

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