India, May 28 -- Congress leader Gaurav Gogoi on Wednesday blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its regional allies for illegal coal mining and rampant drug trafficking in North East India.

"Recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi ji addressed the Rising North-East summit in Delhi, where he talked about various schemes and initiatives. But his words are far away from the ground reality. In the north-east, the actual situation is very critical. Under BJP rule, the region has become a hub for illegal coal mining and narcotics trafficking", said Gogoi, the president of the Congress Assam unit.

Gogoi referred to the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) April 25 press note highlighting the existence of an illegal coal syndicate in Assam and ...