Congress, Left will be wiped out, BJP will return with thumping mandate: Sonowal

Agartala (Tripura) [India], February 12 : Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday came down heavily on Opposition parties in poll-bound Tripura, claiming that decades of 'misrule' by the Congress and the Left made the Northeast one of the 'least developed' regions in the country.
Addressing an election rally in the northeast state on Sunday, the former Assam chief minister said the BJP managed to turn the tide in Tripura and put it on the road to development and progress after prolonged 'misrule' by previous governments.
"Tripura saw dark under the previous Congress and Left, which made our beautiful Northeast one of the least developed regions in India. Overcoming decades of economic depredation, social alienation and political indifference was a mammoth task. But, the BJP managed to turn things around under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, took the challenge of transforming and reforming the Northeast head on and it was down to his visionary guidance that the region saw non-stop development," Sonowal said.
The Union minister said Prime Minister Modi has worked hard to pull the Northeast states out of their 'dark past' and put the region on the development plane.
"Today, we are also witnessing the fruits of the revolutionary transformation that the Northeast has experienced in this short duration of time under Modi-ji's leadership. Tripura, along with other states of the Northeast, have emerged from their dark past and are well on course to reclaiming the lost glory in such a short time. Tripura, with the efficient HIRA model of transportation, has transformed the state, helping unlock its potential to become an important hub of progress and development," he said.
Sonowal further said the industrious people of the state were working with the BJP government to take their agricultural produce and their traditional cane handiwork to the world market.
"The state's 'Tri Shakti Sankalp' has laid the foundation for the next phase of development. It has allowed citizens to lead a life of honour and respect while the quality of living continues to improve all the time. The public mood here is clear -- they are in favour of continuing this historic journey of transformation for the betterment of the region and towards building a new India as has been envisioned by the Prime Minister. Once our party registers an emphatic victory in the upcoming Assembly elections, the Congress and the Left parties will be wiped off Tripura's political landscape," Sonowal said.
On the concerns of the state's marginalised communities, the Union minister said the BJP has always respected the views of the tribal communities as well as other marginalised communities.
"Our commitment to the welfare of the tribal society can be gauged by the fact that the first ever ministry for the welfare of tribals was done under the leadership of (former PM) Atal Bihari Vajpayee-ji. The efforts in this direction are ably carried forward under Nodi-ji as well. The budgetary allocation to address the concerns of tribal communities in the country has been enhanced to a record Rs 5 lakh crore in this year's Budget," Sonowal said.
"The double engine government has benefitted people at large and this march of progress will continue unabated as you decide to repose your love, trust and faith in the BJP once again," he added.
Tripura will go to Assembly polls on February 16 and votes will be counted on March 2, along with those of Meghalaya and Nagaland.