'Inherent habit' of Congress to abandon any development work that's difficult: Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday alleged that the Congress has an "inherent habit" of abandoning any development work that is difficult, and this caused significant harm to the Northeast.

Addressing a rally at the Indira Gandhi Park in Itanagar after unveiling development projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore, Modi said he knew that the Northeast couldn't be developed from Delhi, and so, he sent ministers and officers more frequently to the region, and he himself came here more than 70 times.

"One inherent habit of Congress is that they never take up development work which is difficult to do; they abandon it. This habit of Congress caused significant harm to Arunachal Pradesh and the entire Northeast. In the hilly and forested areas, where development work was challenging, Congress would declare the regions backward and simply forget them," he claimed.

The PM said that with the launch of GST reforms on the first day of Navratri, people will receive a "double bonanza" this festive season.

"Today, next-generation GST reforms have been implemented across the country, and the GST 'Bachat Utsav' has begun. During the season of festivals, the people have received a double bonanza," he said.

"The GST reforms will reduce kitchen budget, helping women," he added.

The PM said the previous Congress government kept on increasing taxes even as everything got expensive.

"Congress imposed a heavy tax burden on the people, but our government has gradually reduced taxes, giving relief," he said.

Modi alleged the border villages were neglected by successive Congress governments, leading to the migration of people from these areas.

He claimed that the Congress also overlooked Arunachal Pradesh, as it has only two Lok Sabha seats.

"When I was given the opportunity to serve the nation in 2014, I resolved to free the country from the mindset of Congress. Our guiding principle is not the number of votes or seats in any state, but 'nation first'. Our only mantra is 'Nagrik Devo Bhava' (the citizen is God)," he said.

"Modi worships those whom no one has ever asked about. That is why Arunachal Pradesh, which was neglected during Congress rule, has since 2014 become a centre of developmental priority," he added.

The PM said the projects he unveiled were an example of "double benefits" of the "double-engine" government.

"Arunachal got Rs 1 lakh crore from Centre in the last 10 yrs, which is 16 times more than what it got during Congress rule," he said.