Rijiju urges NE people to prove their worth

Guwahati, October 5, 2014: Union minister of state for home affairs Kiren Rijiju said he is trying to form a global platform to develop a feeling of unity among the people of the northeast.

While taking part in the first-ever Arunachal Carnival in Guwahati, Rijiju also urged locals to prove their worth instead of agitating for rights.

"I'm thinking of forming a global platform for the people of the northeast who are living in different places across the world. It will not just inculcate a sense of unity but also help in many other ways. Recently, during a visit to Brooklyn Institute, I was overwhelmed to see the excitement of the NE people there. Then I thought of forming something that will connect us across the globe," Rijiju told TOI.

Terming bandhs and strikes as deadly diseases for society, Rijiju said, "We have to live united and at the same time we have to prove our potential in the national and international level which we have failed to do so far.

"We should never expose our weaknesses to others. We should be confident and prove ourselves before the rest of the country, because respect does not come in charity."

He said the region needs more Mary Koms than bomb blasts, militants or border disputes.

Taking stock of the condition of roads in Arunachal Pradesh, he said, "We need to do a lot of work. We do not want conflicts with China, but we want to develop the infrastructure and communication in the border areas," he said.

Source: Times of India