Ahead of FIFA World Cup final, PM Modi makes a football analogy on BJP’s Northeast scorecard

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said his administration has sent a "red card" to all barriers in northeast India, such as underdevelopment, corruption, instability, and political favouritism. He was in Shillong to attend the North Eastern Council's golden jubilee celebrations.

Addressing a public meeting on the occasion of the North East Council's (NEC) golden jubilee, PM Modi noted that the region's enhanced access to the air has facilitated the export of agricultural goods, which has benefited farmers.

Modi said, “We are making honest efforts to send out corruption, bias, nepotism, violence, stalling of projects, and vote bank politics. But you know that the roots of these diseases run deep. So, we all have to uproot it together.”

"When football fever is gripping us all, why not talk in football terminology? When someone goes against the sportsman spirit, they are shown a red card and sent out. Similarly, in the last eight years, we have shown a red card to several hurdles in developments of the northeast," he added.

He also inaugurated, dedicated, and laid the groundwork for a number of projects. One of the projects that has been inaugurated is the sprawling campus of the IIM-Shillong in the New Shillong Township. 

“When we changed the priorities of the central government. Its positive impact is visible across the country. This year, the Centre is spending Rs 7 lakh crore just for infrastructure. Eight years back, this was less than even Rs 2 lakh crore. Seven decades after Independence, we reached only up to Rs 2 lakh crore,” Modi said.

In addition, Modi inaugurated four additional road projects in Meghalaya, Manipur, and Arunachal Pradesh. He also laid the foundation stone of six road road projects in the states of Assam, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura.