Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday addressed Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) supporters at party headquarters in New Delhi after the party's success in Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya assembly elections.
Staring his address, PM Modi urged the gathering to turn on the flash lights on their phones to “respect the brothers and sisters of northeast”.
PM Modi said, “Take out your mobile phones and use the flashlight. This 'prakash' (light) is to pay respect to the people of Northeast. The people of in Nagaland, Tripura and Meghalaya have showered their blessings on all winning candidates.”
Modi thanked all BJP workers of the three northeastern states for working hard towards making the party win the elections.
In reference to earlier times, PM Modi said, "There was not much discussion in Delhi and other parts of the country when the results were out from the northeast region. The discussion was about the violence during the elections."
Modi further said, “Since this morning, whenever I watched the TV, I only saw results of Northeast. This is not a result of less distance between hearts but a reflection of a new ideology. Now Northeast is not far from Delhi or from hearts.”
The prime minister said winning the heart of the people of the northeast is a big win for him. He said the time has come for the northeast region's peace, prosperity and development.
"By frequently visiting the northeast, I won their heart. And it is a big win for me. I was satisfied that the people of the northeast are no longer ignored. It is a time to create new history. When I visited the northeast recently, someone congratulated me on the half-century. When I inquired about it, I was told that I had visited the northeast 50 times," the PM said.
He also stated that the secret of BJP’s success is the combination of three strengths or ‘Triveni’, they are work, work culture of its governments and its workers' commitment to service.
Attacking the Congress party, PM Modi said, "Today's results have exposed Congress's perception about the northeast. Congress claimed that these are small states and insignificant. It is an insult to the mandate and the people of the northeast states."
The prime minister received a warm welcome at the BJP headquarters in Delhi after the Assembly polls results of three northeastern states of Tripura, Nagaland and Meghalaya were declared on Thursday.
The BJP emerged victorious by winning 32 seats out of the 60-member assembly in Tripura, hence securing its return to power in the northeastern state for the second term.
Further, BJP and its ally Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) swept the assembly elections in Nagaland by winning a total of 37 seats in the 60-member assembly.
In Meghalaya, the NPP won 26 seats in the 59-member assembly. The UDP on the other hand bagged 11 seats. The TMC and Congress have won 5 seats each, while the Voice of the People Party has won 4.
