Has Arunachal Pradesh Transformed Under BJP? In Conversation With Kiren Rijiju, NewsX Exclusive

Amid the democratic aroma, NewsX reaches to one of the beautiful state of India Arunachal Pradesh to have a conversatition with Kiren Rijiju, Member of Parliament from Arunachal Pradesh and Union Minister of Law and Justice, the focus was on the transformation of Arunachal Pradesh under the leadership of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Rijiju shed light on the aspirations for his home state and the significant developments witnessed in recent years.

Aspirations for Arunachal Pradesh

Rijiju articulated a clear vision for Arunachal Pradesh, emphasizing its integral role in India’s growth story. He highlighted the significant progress made in the state’s infrastructure over the past decade, including the development of airports, railway lines, highways, village roads, water supply, and electricity. Rijiju underscored the pivotal role of the central government in driving this transformation, alongside efforts by the Arunachal Pradesh state government to enhance its capacity and resource mobilization.

Looking ahead, Rijiju expressed confidence in Arunachal Pradesh’s potential to achieve one of the highest per capita incomes in the country within the next decade. He emphasized the importance of positioning Arunachal Pradesh as a premier destination for business and tourism, leveraging its inherent strengths to attract visitors and investors alike.

So do you feel that somewhere it was Arunachal’s tricky terrain which was being used as an excuse and there was just a lack of political vision and will?

When questioned about the challenges posed by Arunachal Pradesh’s terrain, Rijiju dismissed the notion of terrain as an excuse for lack of development. He highlighted the proactive approach taken by the BJP government in addressing infrastructural deficiencies and unlocking the state’s economic potential. Rijiju credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for prioritizing the development of border areas and facilitating connectivity through road construction projects.

Rijiju also emphasized the importance of creating economic opportunities for the youth of Arunachal Pradesh, pointing to the expansion of educational institutions in the state. With the establishment of medical colleges, engineering colleges, and other educational facilities, Rijiju expressed optimism about the improved prospects for youth in accessing quality education within the state.

Did your journey to Delhi for higher education due to limited educational facilities in Arunachal shape your views on the educational opportunities for today’s youth in the state?

Now we have lots of colleges in Arunachal Pradesh. Our time we had just 3-4 colleges in Arunachal. So we had to go to outside the state. Now we have medical college here, we have engineering college Arunachal has now, NIT, we have agriculture college and then Arunachal also have non-national level film institute. So many things have come up in last 10 years. So now our youth will not require to struggle or look for opportunities like we did in our time because there were no avenues in those days. Things have changed and I am leading from the front.

Do you think the Congress’s promise now to hold a nationwide caste census will actually resonate with the people of India?

No, the relevance of Congress is gone. They have destroyed Northeast. They made Northeast a breeding ground for militancy and all kinds of culture and all kinds of undesirable things which we see in the Northeast. These are all the gifts of the Congress party. Now the era of Congress is over. We can’t look back those dark phases of Congress days. Now it’s a prospect to look at the future and the opportunities before us. Modi ji and BJP, this is the future and we will look beyond. Now in the Assembly election, out of 60 seats, 10 seats are already uncontested. In my seat also, Lok Sabha seat. People are going to give a record margin of victory by exercising their franchise and we are very confident that we will get more support than the previous time.

Congress advocates wealth redistribution, citing concentration among 1%, blaming BJP for alleged failure in addressing wealth disparity. How does BJP counter this claim?

I don’t need to respond to Congress party. Congress wants to distribute poverty because they want to create poverty only. Why Congress has made India a poor country? 1947, all these Asian countries except Japan, China, Taiwan, South Korea, North Korea, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, all these countries along with India and all the countries of South Asia, we were at the equal footing when we got the independence. And from independence to the time Modi ji came, Congress party has made India a poor nation. The per capita of India, the GDP of India is lesser than many of the African countries. That is what Congress has made India into. How can we look back and trust Congress party? They made India a poor nation but Modi ji is making India a prosperous nation and we are going to become a fully developed nation by 2047. All the pointers of the economic structures are indicating clearly by 2027 or 2028, within Modi ji’s third term, we will be the third largest economy in the world. And in the next 25 years, we will be a fully developed country. So these are things which are happening under Modi ji. Who is so foolish enough to believe the Congress propaganda? They rendered India helpless, a begging nation in 60 years. Can you believe them again?

Was the Manipur violence handled very well by BJP?

No, we all know that Manipur incident was unfortunate and the internal clashes and the conflicts between the Meiteis and the Kukis is something which all feel very unfortunate and we could very well feel the pain because people are suffering. So we have appealed to them under Modi ji’s leadership, North East is progressing so well. Now if we indulge in this kind of violent activities, killing each other, targeting each other, what will we gain? Nothing. We need to come together and ensure that peace is the only way to progress.