New Delhi:
A semiconductor facility in the Northeast was “unthinkable” a few years ago and the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi has made it a reality, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.
Speaking at NDTV’s ‘People’s Sansad’ with Padmaja Joshi on Friday, Rijiju also took a dig at the Opposition, calling them ‘naraaz fufas’ who are angry because people have not voted for them and they haven’t been able to win elections against the BJP.
“The youth of the Northeast are extremely talented. But because of a lack of opportunities, they have had to move out of the region. Their strength can play a critical role in the journey towards ‘Viksit Bharat’ (Developed India). We have established critical infrastructure, including highways, and border areas are now also connected through national highways. Airports have also been built,” the minister, who holds the Minority Affairs and Parliamentary Affairs portfolios, said.
“On top of that, soft infrastructure – education, health, creating opportunities – is being laid. Green shoots are visible. Imagine a semiconductor facility in the Northeast. This was unthinkable a few years back. Once both hard and soft infrastructure are in place, the Northeast will have greater integration with economic growth. Jobs will also be created. This will keep the youth engaged,” he said.
Rijiju assured the audience, consisting mainly of students, that youth in the Northeast will not have to struggle for basic things and that every state in the region will be as vibrant as any progressive state in the country.
On PM Modi, the minister said, “I have never seen a person so disciplined, so focused and fit. When I was the minister for Youth Affairs and Sports, he told me that ‘Khelo India’ is for sportspersons, but we need to make every person in the country fit, and the ‘Fit India’ movement started. And you can see how people are working towards fitness now. Life has to be active. No matter how brilliant you are mentally, if you are not physically fit, you will get in trouble.”
People, and especially the youth, voted for the Prime Minister, Rijiju said, because they believe that the country can become rich, powerful and prosperous only under his leadership.
“After 2014, the target was set that India should become a developed nation by 2047. And so many steps have been taken towards that. I think the youth are feeling that if they have to realise their dreams, they need a visionary statesman, a great leader like PM Modi to continue to lead us. And it is true, India is the fastest-growing economy in the world,” he said.
In a jibe at the Opposition, Rijiju also said they should not stay angry just because they are losing elections. “I just want to say, everyone should stay happy in life. There is no point being a ‘naraaz fufa’.”
