"Tripura To Become 'Gateway' Of South Asia": PM Modi

Highlighting the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government's development work in poll-bound Tripura, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the northeastern state is poised to become the 'Gateway' of South Asia.

Addressing an election rally in Ambassa, PM Modi said the BJP government strives to bring forth the contributions of the tribal people in nation-building through its consistent steps of recognizing their efforts.

The Prime Minister said he had promised "HIRA" (Highways, Internet ways, Railways and Airways) in Tripura and people could see the delivery of projects. The work of doubling the length of National Highways in Tripura is at a high pace, he said.

"The work of laying optical fiber in villages is going on in Tripura. In the last eight years, more than three times the optical fiber has been laid in Tripura. Around 5,000 km of new roads were built in Tripura to connect its villages. A new airport was also built in Agartala. Optical fiber and 4G connectivity are being brought to villages. Now, Tripura is becoming global. We are developing waterways to connect the northeast and Tripura with ports. Tripura is poised to become the 'Gateway' of South Asia," PM Modi said.

Prime Minister said the trinity of 'Housing-Health-Income' is empowering Tripura. He said PM Awas Yojana has changed the lives of the poor people here. In the last five years, he said the BJP government has built about 3 lakh pucca houses for the poor.

He said the BJP government is focussing on increasing the income of people in Tripura. Money has been transferred into the bank accounts of farmers under PM-Kisan. "This amount will be increased once BJP comes back to power. Under our rule, farmers are reaping the benefits of MSP (minimum support price)," he said.

PM Modi further attacked the Left and Congress and said that both parties had stalled development in Tripura.

"Earlier police stations in Tripura were captured by the CPM cadre but now under BJP rule, there is a rule of law in the state. Now, there is women empowerment in the state and there is an ease of living. For decades, the rule of Congress and Communists hindered the development of Tripura. BJP government brought development in Tripura. Violence is not anymore the identity of Tripura. BJP made state free from fear and violence. The Congress and the Left only know how to betray the poor. They can never free the poor from any problem. BJP as your servant, as your true companion... is working hard day and night to remove your every concern," he added.

Pertinent to mention, the Left Front ruled Tripura for 25 consecutive years from 1993 to 2018.

Elections are to be held on 60 seats in Tripura on February 16. The counting of votes will be held on March 2.

The Bharatiya Janata Party has declared candidates for 55 assembly seats while leaving the remaining five seats for its alliance, the Indigenous People's Front of Tripura (IPFT).

The Left-Congress alliance has also declared its candidates for all 60 seats.

President JP Nadda and Tripura Chief Minister Manik Saha released the party's manifesto on Thursday.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)