Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday praised the nationalist fervour of the northeastern states in preserving the unity and integrity of India.

Interacting with a delegation of students from the northeastern states, he said that from the time of subjugation to independence, there had been numerous attempts to keep the region separate from the rest of India. For years the people there were deprived of even basic resources.

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“But today, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the entire nation is working together towards ‘Developed India’ in the spirit of ‘Nation First’, putting aside differences of colour, form, dress, and language. Today the youth of the North East are fulfilling their dreams by getting success in JEE, NEET, and Civil Services Examination,” he added.

A group of 27 students met the Chief Minister on Wednesday during the National Integration Tour 2023, organized under the annual ‘Student Experience in Inter-State Living (SEIL)’ programme of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.

The Chief Minister welcomed the students upon their arrival in Lucknow and discussed the ancient cultural and spiritual ties between Uttar Pradesh and the North-Eastern states. He also tried to know about the North-East region and their travel experience.

The Chief Minister said, “Uttar Pradesh is the largest state in the country with a population of 25 crores with Lucknow as its capital. Do visit Vidhan Bhavan during your visit here. Metro is the modern medium of public transport here, everyone should get its experience.”

The Chief Minister also advised the student delegation to visit Kakori near Lucknow while recalling the heroic stories of Assam, Tripura, Meghalaya, and Arunachal Pradesh in the freedom movement.

Addressing the SEIL representatives, he said that Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad has been doing the work of ‘Ek Bharat- Shreshtha Bharat’ for a long time i.e. from the year 1966 through SEIL Yatra. He said that the SEIL Yatra is a living experience of Unity in Diversity. By bridging the gap between the northeast and the other Indian states, this SEIL Yatra has significantly contributed to the goal of uniting hearts.

Away from the arrangement of staying in a hotel, guest house etc.,these students experience a new family apart from their own by living among different families. It is this hospitality that makes the North East have a soulful connection with the rest of India, the CM added.

The CM continued by stating that ABVP had put forth the most significant and effective effort to bring North East into the mainstream of India. He said that the people of the North East have played a major role in the spread of Indian culture in the countries of South Asia.

National President of ABVP Dr Rajsharan Shahi stated that the journey to introduce the Northeast to the rest of India, full of diversity like 166 sorts of tribes, various dialects, clothing and culinary preferences, and living situations, is called SEIL.

Through this journey, along with knowing the traditional and cultural values of India, the beautiful tourist area of Northeast, biodiversity, the specialty of diverse folk culture is spread all over India by the students of Northeast.

This time 482 students from North East are going to 64 places in 21 states of India on the occasion of Azadi ka Amrit Mahotsav. In 2004, ABVP established a Youth Development Center for employment generation for the youth of North East. Through this, employment training has been given to thousands of youths of the Northeast.