Modi upbeat on Northeast visit

Looking forward to interact with the youth and tribal communities, tweets PM

Our Bureau

New Delhi/ Guwahati, Jan 18: Prime Minister rendra Modi on Monday said that he was eagerly awaiting his two-day visit to the Northeast and claimed that his government is leaving no stone unturned to fulfill the developmental aspirations of the region.

 "I am eagerly awaiting my two-day visit to the Northeast. Will participate in various programmes in Sikkim & Assam and interact with citizens. A conference of State Agriculture ministers is being held in Gangtok. Am particularly delighted that the conference is being held in Sikkim," he wrote in a series of tweets.

 He added that the conference of Agriculture ministers would focus on sustaible development, organic farming and ecotourism.

 "In Gangtok I will also visit an exhibition of organic products and interact with organic farmers. I envision the Northeast to be a hub in this," he added.

 The Prime Minister will also interact with the youth of Assam, students of IIT, NIT and central universities of the Northeast on the second day of his visit.

 "Tomorrow I will be in Assam where I will interact with the youth of Assam, students of IIT, NIT & central universities of the Northeast. Tomorrow I will address a public meeting of tribal communities in Kokrajhar and a youth rally in Khapara, Guwahati," he wrote in another tweet.

Meanwhile, the State BJP and the district administration are engaged in hectic preparations for the Prime Minister's visit.

Modi will address the 'Yuva Mahashakti Samaroh' at Khapara at 1 pm. The BJP expects a crowd of around 1 lakh at the event. Besides buses and small vehicles, the BJP has booked nine trains to bring people to the rally.

But Hagrama Mohilary, the president of BPF with which the BJP inked a poll alliance yesterday, is likely to impress the Prime Minister more as a gathering of nearly 2 lakh is expected at the rally that is being organized there. Modi is likely to announce a huge fincial package - a part of the pre-poll BJP-BPF pact - at the Kokrajhar rally.

Both the rallies - at Guwahati and Kokrajhar - are expected to be the first mega rallies of the BJP in the run-up to the assembly elections.

The Prime Minister will also hold discussions with representatives of ethnic and tribal communities, both in Kokrajhar and in Guwahati.

Some groups are protesting the visit of the Prime Minister by calling bandhs. The PM is likely to meet representatives of those groups as well at the Guwahati airport, party sources said.

The State Congress has pooh-poohed the Prime Minister's visit, saying it cannot do any wonders for the BJP in the upcoming assembly elections.

"The BJP is a sinking ship. The PM cannot save it. Once the party was talking about Mission 84…now it is scrambling to forge alliances with parties like the BPF and AGP. This shows that the BJP has no public support," APCC vice president Ripun Bora said.