Manipur, July 13 -- Congress leader Rajesh Kumar Sethi, National Coordinator of the AICC Minority Department and in charge of Manipur, on Sunday, criticised Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's remarks urging the people of the Northeastern region to be "grateful" to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for basic development and job appointments.

In his statement, Sethi termed the statement "deeply problematic" and reflective of the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) "patronising mindset" toward the Northeast. Sethi emphasised that providing roads, jobs, connectivity, drinking water, and security is not a favour but a Constitutional duty of the Prime Minister.

"Union Minister Kiren Rijiju's statement asking the people of the Northeastern region to be "grat...