PM Modi pointed out that when the Congress was in power at the Centre, hardly any ministers would visit the region once every 2-3 months. But now, central ministers pay regular visits to the Northeast and they have come here more than 800 times since the NDA government came to power in 2014.
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Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a visit to the Northeast, today laid the foundation stone of two major hydropower projects in Arunachal Pradesh – the Heo Hydro Electric Project (240 MW) and Tato-I Hydro Electric Project (186 MW). The projects will be developed in the Siyom sub-basin of Arunachal Pradesh. The PM also laid the foundation stone of a state-of-the-art convention centre at Tawang, and multiple key infrastructure projects worth over Rs 1,290 crore. The projects encompass sectors like connectivity, health, fire safety, and working women’s hostels, among others.
Addressing a public event after laying the foundations stones, PM Modi said he worships the northeastern states unlike the Congress governments which always ignored them.
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“We worship the eight northeastern states in the form of ‘Ashtalakshmi’,” the PM said in Itanagar, adding “Congress ki soch ka, Arunachal ko, poore Northeast ko, bohot nuksaan hua hai… jisko kisi ne nahi poocha, usko Modi poojta hai… (Congress’s narrow vision badly impacted Arunachal Pradesh and the entire Northeast. The region which no other government cared about, I worship it.)”
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#WATCH | Itanagar, Arunachal Pradesh | Prime Minister Narendra Modi says, “We worship the eight northeastern states in the form of ‘Ashtalakshmi’…”
Source: ANI/DD pic.x.com/Bqi1jzQVcy
— ANI (@ANI) September 22, 2025
“It took decades for development to reach the Northeast… Arunachal has been blessed by nature… The government of Delhi back then, ignored Arunachal Pradesh and its people. Parties like the Congress thought there are so less people living in Arunachal Pradesh, there are just two Lok Sabha seats, so why focus on this state?… The entire Northeast was lagging in development… Our inspiration is not the number of votes and seats, but the idea of nation first. Our only mantra is ‘nagrik devo bhavah’…,” the PM said, adding that Arunachal Pradesh is a land of valour.
“My visit to Arunachal has become special. On the first day of Navratri, I got to witness such beautiful mountains… Next-generation GST reforms have been implemented today. GST Bachat Utsav has begun… Arunachal has been given power, health, tourism, and many other sectors’ projects…,” he told the crowd.
The PM pointed out that when the Congress was in power at the Centre, hardly any ministers would visit the region once every 2-3 months. But the time has changed as now central ministers pay regular visits to the Northeast and they have come here more than 800 times since the NDA government came to power in 2014.
“When our ministers visit, they strive to go to far-reaching districts and villages… As a Prime Minister, I have come to the Northeast more than 70 times… Northeast mujhe dil se pasand hai, aur isliye humne dil ki doori mitaai hai aur Dilli ko apke pas leke aye hain,” he said, expressing his love for the region.
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