Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal slammed Congress in Lok Sabha, alleging it abandoned the Northeast and left a “dark history.” He praised PM Modi for giving the region the “highest respect” and ushering in an era of development and integration.
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Monday launched a strong attack on the Congress, saying that people of the Northeast “cannot forget the dark history” of the party and that it “has always abandoned the Northeast”.
Sarbananda Sonowal, who initiated the debate in Lok Sabha on the motion of thanks to the President’s Address, said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has “given the highest respect to the Northeast, its culture, heritage and people”. He said it is for this reason, “we consider Modiji one of our own”.
“The President’s Address, delivered by India’s first Adivasi President, second Mahila President and the youngest President of a nation with the world’s largest youth population, is not a coincidence but a conscious reflection of a great nation in motion. It embodies our journey towards reclaiming our civilisational ‘Virasat’ while building a fair, equitable and free society,” he said.
“As a tribal from the North East Region and Assam, I feel immense pride in moving the ‘Motion of Thanks’-becoming the first tribal and the first MP from the Northeast to do so-symbolising an India where social justice, inclusive growth and the resolve for a Viksit Bharat guide our parliamentary history,” he added.
‘Verdict on the Failures of the Congress Era’
Sonowal said the President’s speech should be read not only as a roadmap for India’s future, but also as “a verdict on the failures of the Congress era” and a declaration of national transformation under the leadership of PM Modi.
“The President’s Address has done what the Congress never could. It spoke honestly about the past, decisively about the present, and confidently about the future. It marks India’s final departure from decades of misrule, corruption and calculated neglect,” Sonowal said.
‘Neglect by Design’
“The Northeast has been rich in oil, gas, tea, hydropower, forests, biodiversity, culture and strategic geography. Yet under Congress’ rule, its wealth was extracted while its people were ignored. Its resources were exploited, but its aspirations were denied,” he alleged.
Sarbananda Sonowal said refineries, industries, universities, bridges and connectivity were sanctioned only after prolonged mass movements, protests and sacrifices during Congress rule. “Without ‘andolan’, there was no ‘samadhan’. This was not neglected by accident. This was neglect by design,” he alleged.
Sonowal alleged that Congress governments failed to reinvest regional resources into regional development, leaving youth unemployed, infrastructure broken, and entire generations alienated from the national mainstream. He alleged that even the elevation of a Congress MP from Assam to the Office of Prime Minister, who was PM for 10 years, failed to translate into meaningful development for the region.
“Despite having a Prime Minister from Assam, an MP who represented the state for more than a decade, the Northeast remained disconnected, underdeveloped and dismissed,” Sonowal alleged. “The Congress never saw the Northeast as a partner in India’s growth. It saw it as an inconvenience too distant, too small in numbers, too complex to bother about,” he added.
Sonowal alleged that Congress’ record in the Northeast is marked by “abandonment during crises and indifference during peace”. He cited the trauma of the 1962 war, the imposition of illegal elections, decades of agitation, “draconian laws and chronic underinvestment in infrastructure and security”. “The Northeast paid the price for Congress’ strategic blindness and political arrogance. Its people were left to fend for themselves while Delhi looked away,” he said.
Shift From Neglect to National Priority
Sonowal said 2014 marked a decisive rupture “with this dark legacy”. “Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not inherit a strong system, he rebuilt a broken one. He did not inherit confidence-he restored it. It has been his intent that sounded the death knell for India’s final break from Congress-era decay. We urge you to let it go and join PM Modiji’s historic effort to rebuild Bharat towards making it Viksit. Join this journey and make your contribution towards nation building meaningful,” Sonowal said.
Under PM Modi’s leadership, Sonowal said the Northeast experienced a historic shift from neglect to national priority, from isolation to integration, from conflict to confidence. “For the first time, the Northeast was not managed, it was empowered,” Sonowal asserted.
Infrastructure and Economic Reforms
He said the President’s address highlighted historic tax reforms, the exemption of income up to 12 lakh and next-gen GST reforms, which have saved citizens 1 lakh crore. “Inflation, which used to about 9% and at one stage even crossed double digits in the UPA era, fell to a remarkable low of 4.6% in the fiscal year 2024-25.”
Drawing from the President’s Address, Sonowal referred to investments in highways, railways, airports, bridges, tunnels and digital connectivity across the Northeast. “These projects are not concrete structures; they are instruments of justice. They connect people to markets, children to schools, patients to hospitals, and the region to the rest of India,” he said.
Projects like the Bogibeel Bridge, Dhola-Sadiya Bridge, Sela Tunnel, expanded railway networks and Vande Bharat services have transformed daily life and economic opportunity, he added. “Earlier, the Northeast had to agitate for bridges. Today, it inaugurates world-class infrastructure,” he said.
Cultural Justice and Dignity
He said the BJP-led government has restored cultural dignity, bringing regional icons into national consciousness, securing UNESCO recognition for heritage sites, and promoting Gl tags for indigenous products. “This is not tokenism. This is cultural justice,” he said.
Sonowal said the President’s Address symbolises a deeper shift in India’s power structure. “For decades, Congress spoke about tribal welfare from a distance. Prime Minister Modi ji governs with tribal communities at the centre,” he said.
“Governance is about dignity, delivery and direct access. For decades, the Congress treated Assam’s tea garden workers as a vote bank, honouring them with symbols like a dhoti and a kambal while denying them dignity and opportunity. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that colonial mindset has ended. Today, tea garden workers have bank accounts, model schools for their children, better roads, healthcare support for pregnant women, and national recognition for their culture. This is not tokenism-this is respect, empowerment and real transformation,” he said.
He cited national recognition of tribal freedom fighters, focused welfare schemes, education initiatives, and livelihood support as proof that social justice today is about dignity, not dependency. The Minister alleged that files moved slowly during the Congress-led government but “today, governance is transparent and direct,” he said, citing direct benefit transfers (DBT), housing, water, healthcare and sanitation initiatives that have transformed lives.
“Under PM Narendra Modi’s leadership, ports, waterways and logistics have become pillars of national competitiveness, creating jobs and attracting investment. The Northeast will always reject Congress in any election-not out of anger, but out of experience. The people will never return to those who looted their prosperity and silenced their aspirations,” he said.
“The time for cynicism is over. The time for constant negativity is over. If the opposition truly cares for the nation, it should support reforms, infrastructure, inclusion and growth. India is moving forward-with or without them-but history will remember who stood with progress and who stood in its way,” Sonowal added.
He said the President’s Address captures the spirit of a nation that has reclaimed its confidence and corrected historical wrongs. “This transformation is not temporary. It is irreversible. The era of Congress decay is over. The era of New India has begun,” Sonowal said.
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