NEW DELHI — Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday appealed to insurgents in
the Northeast to lay down their arms and join the mainstream saying their
participation in India's development journey is most welcome.
Participating in the 'Unity Utsav - One Voice, One Nation'
organised by the Assam Rifles here, Shah also said everyone knows that the
Northeast wants peace and development and the region wants to work as an
integral part of the country.
"I appeal to all those insurgents who have not
surrendered yet to lay down the arms and join the mainstream. Your
participation in India's development journey is welcome," he said.
The home minister said there has been 70 per cent reduction
in violence in the Northeast in the last five years, 70 per cent less
casualties in security forces and 85 per cent less deaths among civilians.
He said over 10,000 insurgents have surrendered in the last
five years, 12 peace accords were signed with different outfits and two border
agreements were also signed among the states.
"The Northeast wants peace, Northeast wants
development, Northeast wants to work as an integral part of India," he
said.
The home minister said if the youth of the Northeast put
forward two steps to be part of India's development process, the whole country
will put forward four steps with open heart to welcome them.
"Every part of the country has a special place for the
Northeast in their hearts," he said.
Shah said the Northeast has rich tradition and rich cultural
heritage for which the country is proud of. Without the rich cultural heritage
of the Northeast, India is incomplete, he said.
"Unity in diversity is our strength," he said and
highlighted that the Northeast has over 220 different communities, over 160
tribes, over 200 languages and dialects, over 50 unique festivals, over 30
classified traditional dance forms and over 100 different cuisines.
Shah said Prime Minister Narendra Modi has given a new
dimension to the identity of the Northeast by naming the region, comprising
eight states -- Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur,
Mizoram, Tripura and Sikkim -- as 'Ashtalakshmi'.
"From economic and cultural fields to sports,
education, agriculture and entrepreneurship, works have been done to open the
doors of unlimited opportunities for the youth of the Northeast in every
field," he said.
The home minister said 212 teams and 1,500 students have
participated in the event organised by the Assam Rifles.
"I want to congratulate Manipur as most prizes were
bagged by students from that state. That is why Prime Minister Modi has decided
that the country's first sports university will come up in Manipur," he
said.
