Asserting that the entire North East is his family, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that the development of the region is necessary for fulfilling the resolution of ‘Viksit Bharat’.

“The development of the Northeast is necessary for fulfilling the resolution of ‘Viksit Bharat’… Congress laid the foundation stone of projects, got their pictures clicked, misled the people, and ran away. But Modi considers the entire Northeast as his family…” Modi said while addressing a public rally in Jorhat in Upper Assam.

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Modi unveiled projects worth Rs 18,000 crore ranging from new medical facilities to upgradation of refineries in Assam. He said that after the BJP government came to power in 2014, the infrastructure development of North Eastern states has taken a new turn.

“Our government has completed stalled projects like Bogibeel Bridge, broad gauge linkage of railways to Barak valley, and there are numerous development projects which have been launched for the speedy development of the region,” Modi said, adding that North Eastern states will be the growth driver of India’s economy in the 21st century.

Listing out projects which were completed during the BJP rule, Modi blamed the earlier Congress government for giving only lip service to the development cause and doing nothing on the ground.

Taking a potshot at the opposition for singling him out on the family issue, “Opposition is now attacking me that I don’t have a family… I want to tell them my family is all of you, and you all like me because I serve you”.

Earlier in the day, after inaugurating the strategically significant Sela Tunnel project in Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday, Modi criticized the previous Congress-led UPA government for ‘neglecting’ border villages in the northeastern states.

He praised his government’s ‘Vibrant Village Programme’. Speaking at the ‘Viksit Bharat Viksit Northeast’ programme in Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh, PM Modi stated that Congress had disregarded the border villages, referring to them as the last village.

In contrast, he views these as the first villages and hence initiated the Vibrant Village Programme.

Responding to the ‘Without Parivaar’ jibe, the PM stated that he is tirelessly working towards constructing a ‘Viksit Bharat’ and ensuring a better future for the youth.

During his two-day visit, Modi undertook elephant and car safaris in the UNESCO Heritage site Kaziranga National Park.