Need to increase number of MPs from northeast: Rijiju

Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Friday said the prime reason behind the lack of development in the northeast was the fewer number of MPs from the region.

"The number of parliamentarians from states matter. We see other states like Uttar Pradesh having 80 MPs. This is not same with the northeast. The number of MPs from the northeast should increase, otherwise the region won't develop," Rijiju told the Aaj Tak summit here.

Citing changes in perception and analysing the actual problems of the northeast as prime factors to make the region peaceful, Rijiju said ministers and officials need to visit the northeast more often to get a better understanding.

Former Lok Sabha speaker P.A. Sangma, MP from Tura in Meghalaya, said the government needed to monitor the funding for the northeast in order to stop corruption.

"Corruption has emerged one of the biggest problem in the northeast as there is an overflow of funds in the region and no one to monitor how it is being used," said Sangma.

He urged the central government to abolish several agencies through which the money was channelled to the region.