Editor,
Truth be told, even the harshest of Modi critics privately admit that the pace of infrastructural development in India post 2014 after Modi became PM has been unprecedented. In light of this fact, the recent claims made by the PM in his address to the people of Arunachal on 9th March that his BJP govt has built 6000 km of National Highways in 10 years compared to only 10,000 km National Highways built in seven decades since Independence in the state, and the infrastructural investment in the state in last five years being more than twenty years of Congress rule hold water. The speed with which projects are completed was made self evident by the fact that the two projects – Donyi – Polo Airport and Sela Tunnel, whose foundation was led in 2019 by him are complete in 2024.
However, in his speech, he pointed out that the previous Congress’ policy of neglect has hindered our state’s progress, which in my opinion, it is at best a half truth. It is true that the Congress govt in the past was hesitant to develop roads and bridges in large scale in the border areas of the state due to the fear that the Chinese army might take advantage of them in any eventual conflict. But the aggressive infrastructural development along the borders by the Chinese, after Xi Jinping became the president of China in 2013, was bound to wake up India to act.
In response to the Chinese infrastructural push, whichever party that came to power in India in 2014, it was inevitable to adopt a policy change and invest more on roads and bridges.
This is not to say that all the development projects of PM Modi and his govt are only to counter China. There is no denying that schemes such as JJM, PMGAY, MNREGA, Swach Bharat have benefitted the masses on the ground. But to assert that only the BJP and its policy have brought about development in the state is to ignore the fact that India’s policy in the Himalayan state is greatly influenced by its neighbour China.
A Reader