Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday accused the Congress of having an "inherent habit" of abandoning difficult development projects, blaming the opposition party for the neglect of the Northeast and Arunachal Pradesh.

The Congress hit back over his push on GST reforms, accusing him of “govern-event” politics and taking undue credit for the Council’s decisions.

Addressing a rally in Itanagar after unveiling projects worth over Rs 5,100 crore, Modi said, “One inherent habit of Congress is that they never take up development work which is difficult to do; they abandon it. This habit of Congress caused significant harm to Arunachal Pradesh and the entire Northeast. In the hilly and forested areas, where development work was challenging, Congress would declare the regions backward and simply forget them.”

He said that when the BJP came to power in 2014, it changed this “Congress mindset.”

“When I was given the opportunity to serve the nation in 2014, I resolved to free the country from the mindset of Congress. Our guiding principle is not the number of votes or seats in any state, but ‘nation first’. Our only mantra is ‘nagrik devo bhava’ (the citizen is God),” Modi declared.

Highlighting projects such as the Sela tunnel, the Hollongi airport, and new hydropower ventures, Modi argued that the BJP’s “double-engine government” had transformed the region.

“The new power projects announced today will make the state a major power producer, create thousands of jobs, and provide affordable electricity,” he said.

The Prime Minister also linked his attack on Congress to economic policy, contrasting his government’s tax reforms with what he alleged was Congress’s “burden” on citizens.

“Congress imposed a heavy tax burden on the people, but our government has gradually reduced taxes, giving relief,” he said, announcing a “GST Bachat Utsav” that he claimed would bring a “double bonanza” for households this festive season.

Congress MP Jairam Ramesh accused Modi of turning governance into spectacle.

“This is not government, but govern-event. They make an event out of everything... This is an attempt to divert attention... This reform should have been done 8 years ago... Our economy got two major shocks – GST and demonetisation,” he said.

On Sunday, Ramesh also said Modi was claiming ownership of changes decided by the GST Council. “Modi addressed the nation to claim sole ownership of the amendments made to the GST regime by the GST Council, a constitutional body. The Indian National Congress has long argued that the Goods and Services Tax has been a Growth Suppressing Tax,” he said.

He pointed out unresolved concerns of MSMEs, exporters, and sectors such as textiles and handicrafts, while criticising the government for ignoring states’ demands.