Itanagar: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party, accusing it of ignoring the Northeast region and burdening citizens with heavy taxes during its tenure.

Speaking at a public gathering after inaugurating and laying the foundation stones for development projects worth over ₹5,100 crore in Arunachal Pradesh, the Prime Minister said that Congress governments neglected the Northeast because of its limited representation in Parliament.

“Generally, the first rays of the sun fall on Arunachal Pradesh, but for years, the rays of development were missing here. The Congress thought that because Arunachal has only two Lok Sabha seats, it was not worth their attention,” PM Modi said.

He contrasted this with the current government’s approach, highlighting that multiple ministers and senior officers regularly visit and stay in the region to monitor development projects and ensure last-mile delivery.

Among the key projects launched were two major hydropower initiatives — the 240 MW Heo Hydro Electric Project and the 186 MW Tato-I Hydro Electric Project — with a combined investment of over ₹3,700 crore in the Siyom sub-basin of Arunachal Pradesh.

Additionally, PM Modi laid the foundation stone for a state-of-the-art Convention Center in Tawang, located at over 9,820 feet. With a capacity to host over 1,500 delegates, the facility is expected to become a hub for national and international conferences, cultural events, and exhibitions, boosting the region’s tourism and economic potential.

PM Modi also underscored the government’s efforts to simplify the tax structure by replacing the previous four-slab GST system with a streamlined two-slab regime of 5% and 18%, retaining a 40% slab for luxury and sin goods.

This, he said, will ease compliance, reduce consumer prices, support MSMEs, boost manufacturing, and strengthen inclusive growth across sectors such as agriculture, FMCG, automobiles, and renewable energy.

Following the event in Arunachal Pradesh, the Prime Minister will travel to Tripura to inaugurate development projects at the Mata Tripura Sundari Temple Complex in Matabari, perform pooja, and interact with local traders, taxpayers, and industry representatives about the economic impact of GST reforms.