AALO, 5 Apr: Assam and Arunachal Pradesh are the closest neighbours not just geographically but ”we are also close culturally,” said Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Addressing the Mopin festival celebration here in West Siang district on Saturday, Sarma said: ”Both I and Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu are 100 percent committed to resolve the border dispute between the two states during our tenure.”
He said that Assam’s legendary musician Dr Bhupen Hazarika had profound love and affection for Arunachal and vice versa and ”so we will celebrate his birth centenary celebrations in 2026 both in Assam and Arunachal Pradesh.’
“Arunachal Pradesh is not just a state; it is a living, breathing canvas of cultural magnificence. It is a land where tradition and modernity coexist harmoniously,” he said.
The celebration of Mopin festival allows everyone to reflect on the deep significance of preserving and celebrating the indigenous tribal culture, Sarma said.
Mopin festival is an agricultural harvest festival, which is celebrated by the Galo tribe of Arunachal in April to thank goddess Mopin Ane for a good harvest and seek prosperity.
The festival comes alive with the Popir dance, performed by women in traditional white attire, accompanied by folksongs.
Sarma further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given immense “power” to the northeastern states and in the next 20 years, the region would be the most developed in the country.
Roads, highways and railway networks have been expanded in the Northeast and “this is a golden period for the region,” he said.
“Before 2014, the governments of the northeastern states had no power but the prime minister has given us so much power that the eight Ashtalakshi states will be some of the most developed states of the country,” the CM said.
For decades, inadequate infrastructure and investment, especially in connectivity, had hindered the region’s growth, leaving it economically backward and geographically isolated, he said.
The prime minister’s initiatives like ‘Transformation through Transportation’ and ‘Act East Policy’ have led to unprecedented development in connectivity, infrastructure and economic integration, Sarma said.
”This paradigm shift has unlocked the region’s vast potential, positioning it not as a remote periphery, but as the gateway to the fastest-growing economies of Southeast Asia,” Sarma said.
Arunachal is marching ahead to become the country’s leading hydrocarbon state while it is also emerging as a major tourism hub for foreigners, Sarma said.
”The prime minister has taken several initiatives to develop the region by making the states equal partners in the journey of progress. We must strive to become the leading region under his guidance at the earliest,” he said. (PTI Guwahati)
