Rajnath promises road facelift, more power to tribal councils

Alleging that the Congress government had not done anything to bring about development in Mizoram, Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh Friday said the BJP, if voted to power, would upgrade the road infrastructure in the state within six months.

Addressing an election rally here, he said the condition of roads in the north eastern state has gone from bad to worse under the Congress rule.

"The BJP, if elected to power, will build highways and mend roads in the state within six months. The poll-bound state probably has the worst road infrastructure in the country even after a decade of Congress rule," Singh said.

The minister also asserted that the Centre would ensure passage of an amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution, providing more power to the autonomous district councils of Mizoram.

"If the two BJP nominees in the Mara Autonomous District Council (MADC) are elected to power, the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre will be able to push for an amendment to the Sixth Schedule of the Constitution to ensure more autonomy to the district councils," he said.

MADC, one of the three autonomous district councils within the state, has its headquarters in Siaha.

Under the Sixth Schedule, the Constitution gives special provisions to the administration of tribal areas in the four north eastern states of Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya and Tripura.

Mizoram, the last Congress bastion in the northeast, will go to polls on November 28. The results will be announced on December 11.

There are 40 assembly seats with an estimated 7.6 lakh registered voters in the state, where the Congress has been in power since 2008.

Singh, who arrived in Mizoram around noon, is set to address two more rallies at Chawngte within Chakma Autonomous District Council and Damparengpui village in Mamit district, along the Bangladesh border.