PM promises Nagaland peace, development

However, he did not even once mention either the NSCNI-M or NSCNK, which have been in a ceasefire with the Government for over 11 and seven years respectively now.

8220;We have been engaged in a purposeful dialogue with disaffected groups to try and bring long-lasting peace to Nagaland. We have been open and liberal in our approach and are hopeful that we will succeed in our efforts for an honourable solution. We are willing to go the extra mile for this purpose,8221; the Prime Minister said, in his 20-minute speech delivered in English.

Reiterating that it was only the Congress that was sincerely committed to bringing lasting peace in Nagaland and the Northeast, Singh said the people of Nagaland were fed up of violence and were craving for peace. 8220;We are the only party engaged in dialogue with disaffected groups and even brought peace to many regions. We alone are sincerely committed to bringing lasting peace. We are the only party that has tried to bring the peoples of this region into the mainstream while at the same time protecting their unique history, culture and identity,8221; the Prime Minister said.

Nagaland is going to polls on March 5, with the Congress contesting in all the 60 constituencies. The Democratic Alliance of Nagaland DAN, comprising the Nagaland People8217;s Front NPF, BJP and a couple of other parties, which had defeated the Congress in the 2003 elections, was dismissed and President8217;s Rule imposed in the state on January 3 following a controversial vote of confidence that the DAN claimed it had won.

Defining peace as the key to development, the Prime Minister appealed to the 13 lakh voters of the state to help establish a stable government instead of a 8220;hotch-potch coalition.8221; He also described the DAN government of Neiphiu Rio as inefficient, ineffective and corrupt. Nagaland, Singh added, had been under a hotch-potch coalition for five years. 8220;They do not have a common ideology. They do not have a common agenda. Each one of them pulls in a different direction. The only thing common among them is a desire to be in power,8221; he said.

The Prime Minister also accused the DAN Government of having failed on the law and order front. 8220;There has been no rule of law and the people have suffered from lawlessness here. A government which could not provide security to its people has no right to get the support of the people again. They have tried to divide the people on tribal, communal and racial lines,8221; he said.

Harping on his development mantra, Singh said while Nagaland had missed immense opportunities in the last five years, the Congress could change that. 8220;If you have to once again enjoy rapid development, if you have to once again enjoy a peaceful life, if you want Nagaland to fulfill its potential, you must once again bring the Congress to power,8221; he said.

Among the promises on the developmental front that he made were a four-lane highway linking Dimapur the state8217;s economic and business town to Kohima, improvement of other national highways, upgradation of over 700 km of roads, and two-lane highways connecting all the 11 district headquarters.

He also promised a second airport at Chiethu, and said improved air connectivity would give a much-needed boost to the state8217;s tourism and industrial development. A new institute of hotel management is also on the cards for Nagaland, while four new ones have already come up, he said.