Silchar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday accused the Indian National Congress of neglecting the development of Barak Valley for decades and said the present government is working to restore the region’s economic importance.

Addressing a public gathering in Silchar, the Prime Minister said that after independence the Congress allowed the drawing of boundaries in a way that cut off Barak Valley’s crucial link to the sea, which he claimed weakened the region’s trade and industrial prospects.

He said Barak Valley had once been known as an important trade route and an industrial hub, but its growth was severely affected due to poor planning and lack of attention from successive Congress governments.

“The Congress party left the North East to its own fate. When the country became independent, the boundaries were drawn in such a way that the Barak Valley’s vital link to the sea was completely severed,” Modi said.

He added that despite ruling the country for decades after independence, Congress governments did little to boost the development of the region.

Highlighting ongoing infrastructure projects, Modi said the BJP’s “double-engine government” was now working to transform Barak Valley into a major centre of trade and commerce. He announced that the Bhoomi Pujan had been performed for the Shillong–Silchar High-Speed Corridor, a project estimated to cost around Rs.24,000 crore.

“Just ask the Congress leaders about this. Give them a pen and paper and ask them to write Rs.24,000 crore, they won’t even be able to do it,” the Prime Minister remarked while attacking the opposition. The proposed corridor is expected to improve connectivity between Shillong and Silchar and boost economic activity across the region once completed.

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