The northeastern states of India have always remained remote from mainstream India, its news and its people. Even though the state of Manipur hit the headlines of the dailies some time ago, the reasons were very unfortunate for the same. But what about the other northeastern states, their development and the transformation they have gone through?
Modi's Northeast Story, a new release, authored by Tuhin Sinha and Aditya Pittie, with a foreword by BJP National President JP Nadda, is a one-of-a-kind anthology documenting the transformation of India's northeastern states from in the year 2014.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's East Policy Act was the first step towards uplifting the Northeast with a rare visionary zeal. Ten years later, the results are very visible.
Modi's Northeast Story brings together contributors who were at the forefront of introducing this change or saw it unfold from close quarters, including Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu. Union Science Minister Kiren Rijiju. Union Minister of State for Road Transport, Highways and Civil Aviation, General VK Singh (Retd); Members of Parliament, S. Phangnon Konyak, and Tejasvi Surya. author and anthropologist, Rami Desai. Lairenjam Niranjan Singh; and Tage Rita; including.
Tuhin A. Sinha is a best-selling author, columnist and politician. He is currently the National Spokesperson of the BJP. Tuhin is recognized among the most prolific Indian writers with an uncanny ability to experiment with new genres. Tuhin recently completed an acclaimed trilogy on India's unknown underdog freedom fighters with his books – The Legend of Birsa Munda, The Great Tribal Warriors of Bharat and Sido Kanhu. Tuhin's books cross a wide range of subjects in both the fiction and non-fiction genres. As a popular media voice of the BJP, Tuhin has been vocal and articulate on all recent political issues through his print articles and news talk appearances.
Aditya Pittie is an experienced entrepreneur and angel investor with interests in politics, public policy and nation building. He holds a BS (Engineering) from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA and an MS/MBA from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, USA. Aditya is a mentor for Atal Innovation Mission, Government of India, former president of Entrepreneurs' Organization (EO), Pune, and Convenor (Western Maharashtra) of BJP Intellectual Cell.
To dig deeper into the aspects covered by Sinha and Pittie in 'Modi's Northeast Story' and more, related to India's Northeast region, GoaChronicle's Sonakshi Datta posed a few questions to the authors.
What inspired you to create a book on 'Modi's North East Story'?
We were discussing what are the top 3 to 5 innovative transformations in Bharat, under the visionary leadership of PM Modi Ji, since 2014. The transformation of North East India was one of them, but the details of what actually happened are not so good known and nothing was well documented. While much has been said about the other aspects, the complete, all-encompassing transformation of our northeastern states has often not received the attention it deserves.
What problems did the northeastern states of India face since the 1962 war?
Lack of infrastructural development and incessant illegal immigration from Bangladesh were the two main issues facing the northeastern states since 1962. In fact, as recently as 2013, the UPA Defense Minister had stated on the floor of the House, in Parliament, that as a policy , the UPA did not believe in improving infrastructure in border areas if it would provoke China.
So this kind of defeatist, negative and apologetic attitude towards the North Eastern states has been one of the main reasons why they feel alienated and ignored.
What factors do you think led to the repeated neglect of the northeastern states by the previous central governments?
The Congress party is guilty of practicing the politics of 'other'. They have always treated certain parts of the country as not natively belonging to Bharat, and as a result, either pampered or grossly ignored them. On the one hand they pampered Kashmir too much and on the other they completely ignored the North Eastern states.
In a way, many of these problems stem from the basic lack of understanding of Indian history by the Congress, and of course, the leadership that has been at the helm of the Congress since 1998, with that leadership, the problem of ignorance of Indian history it was more intense. There was no political will to address long-standing issues, and in fact, they believed that in politics, issues are not best resolved and left to fester.
There the attitude of the Modi government is very different. We believe that political will can bring a solution to any long-standing dispute. which our current government has done.
What steps did former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Bajpayee take to bridge the gap between Northeast India and the rest of the country? How well do you think he did?
Under Prime Minister Bajpayee, the creation of infrastructure on an unprecedented scale began in the northeastern states. In fact, it was Prime Minister Bajpayee who included Sikkim in our northeastern states, and from the land of seven sisters, the entire terminology changed to 'Ashtalakshmi'. He believed that the eight states would be the path to India's economic prosperity in the future. Mr. Bajpayee was very visionary when he came up with this thought.
There were also attempts to integrate the northeastern states with India, culturally. Bajpayee Ji dealt with the rebellion with more skill or wisdom than any previous Congress government.
What exactly is Modi's 'Act East Policy'? What, according to both of you, is the most remarkable aspect of it?
The Act East Policy, a key component of Prime Minister Modi's development model, aims to strengthen ties with Southeast Asian countries. The strategically located Northeast serves as a gateway for this policy. Initiatives such as the India-Myanmar-Thailand Trilateral Expressway and the Kaladan Multi-Modal Transit Transport Project are enhancing connectivity and trade, promoting economic development in the region.
When Narendra Modi became the Prime Minister of India in 2014, he had a vision to transform India. He put the Northeast at the heart of his vision. He changed the 'Look East Policy' to 'Act East Policy' and took a holistic approach to address the challenges of the region. He asked all Union ministers to visit the region and spend a night there every two months, to ensure better inclusion of the region in national policies and programmes.
There have been an unprecedented 65 visits by Prime Minister Modi to the Northeast, along with more than 700 visits by union ministers since 2014.
What is the most colossal impact this policy has on the North Eastern states of India?
The development of Northeast India under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has witnessed a remarkable transformation in recent years and validates his unique development model. A model characterized by inclusive growth, infrastructural development, connectivity and harnessing the region's potential has transformed the North East into a thriving region.
From improved infrastructure, enhanced connectivity, industrial development, focus on tourism, use of renewable energy, conservation of biodiversity, revival of traditional industries and strengthening of local governance, the region has experienced a surge of growth. Prime Minister Modi's inclusive policies, coupled with a deep understanding of the region's unique challenges and potential, have laid a solid foundation for the region's progress.
Infrastructure development is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Modi's development model and significant efforts have been made in the Northeast region. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has spent more than Rs 3.84 lakh crore on infrastructure development. The construction of roads, bridges, airports and railways has brought about a transformative change, enhancing connectivity and reducing geographical isolation, and has greatly improved transport links within the region and with other parts of the country.
The 9.15 km long Bhupen Hazarika Bridge, inaugurated in 2017, is the longest sea bridge in India and has reduced travel time between Assam and Arunachal Pradesh, boosting economic integration and tourism. Airports also increased from 9 to 17 in the Northeast.
Do you think the Manipur carnage has become a hoax? armor of the central government and its vision for the North East? Could the government have handled the situation better?
There is no doubt that the Manipur episode has left a dark spot on an otherwise unblemished record that the Modi government has in the northeastern states. In fact, between March 2017 and April 2023, Manipur had reported the longest period of unhindered peace and prosperity. But, unfortunately, some dark shadows of the past that we thought had been exorcised or removed, have come back to haunt us.
It is a legacy issue, and unfortunately, ethnic conflicts have existed in the northeastern states since infinity, and though we have had a good track record in resolving some of the issues, we hope that in Manipur too we will be able to put the present crisis behind us completely, the next ones months.
The connectivity of India's highway right up to Thailand, which runs through Myanmar, obviously has some geopolitical ramifications, and at the same time, the way the Biren Singh government has cracked down on illegal poppy cultivation has also had some ramifications.
These ethnic clashes were slightly unexpected because the six years preceding it had been the longest period of peace and prosperity the state had seen in probably decades. That said, the situation is under control at the moment and things will improve from here on out. In the future, Manipur will be at par in the development trajectory, with Assam or Arunachal Pradesh.