Assam CM woos voters belonging to ‘7 sisters’

New Delhi: BJP on Sunday deployed Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and MPs from the east and Northeast of the country to woo migrants from there who are voters here.At the BJP headquarters on DDU Marg, Sarma, Delhi BJP chief Virendra Sachdeva, Nagaland Rajya Sabha MP Phangnon Konyak, Darjeeling Lok Sabha MP Raju Bista and other senior party functionaries did a meet-and-greet with over 500 people from West Bengal and Northeast, who came dressed in traditional attire, chanting "Bharat Mata ki Jai" and "Abki baar 400 paar".Sarma called Delhi his "karmabhoomi".Konyak said: “Northeast has become a gateway for Southeast Asia. The image of Northeast under the leadership has changed completely.”Bista lamented about the decades of divisive politics under Congress. He contrasted it with the governance by the BJP since 2014. “When the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP govt came, they worked to give us respect,” he said.Sachdeva emphasised BJP's commitment to the people of the Northeast. "This is not just for the people of Northeast, but for all the people of the country. We are always with you. Our customs and traditions may differ, but what unites us is being Indian."Sachdeva slammed AAP and Kejriwal, saying that “the one we are competing against in Delhi has come out on interim bail. He is the first chief minister who does not have permission to enter the secretariat or sign a file.... We will win all seven seats in Delhi."Sarma, welcomed with applause, highlighted Modi's affection for the Northeast and the significant reduction in discrimination against Northeastern students in the city.Sarma emphasised the remarkable improvements in connectivity, increased tourism flow and substantial investments in railways, highways and airports, underscoring the Northeast's emergence as a burgeoning hub of economic activity. "Today, the growth in Northeast is happening at an unprecedented rate. Earlier, projects used to take forever. Tourism inflow has increased because central govt has brought relative peace in the region," he said.Sarma also outlined plans for technological advancement in the semiconductor industry, aligning with Modi's vision of fostering an electronic revolution in the region. “A sum of Rs 55,000 crore is being spent on the development of the Northeast Railway alone." he added.Attendees Amit Singha and Louremban Girija expressed their gratitude for the opportunity to connect with fellow Northeasterners and learn more about their states' progress. Singha, a 41-year-old from Manipur working as a photographer in Kalkaji, said: “There were so many things that I learned about my state in terms of the infrastructural developments done."Girija, a 58-year-old Meiti woman, gatherings like these were needed. “It is through these events that we come together, learn more about our states. BJP has given us that sense of identity."