Uma Bharti apologises for BJP's Vision Document goof-up

Guwahati, Feb 6 (IANS) Union minister and BJP leader Uma Bharti Friday apologised to the people of the northeast for the party's Delhi poll Vision Document that described people from the region living in Delhi as "immigrants".

"I request the people of the region to not have any ill-feelings because we sincerely want the region's development," the water resources and river development minister said at the two-day Assam Water Conference 2015 here.

"We will apologise not once, but thousand times. The people of the northeast are very close to the central government," she said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party's Vision Document for the Feb 7 Delhi assembly polls, which was released Tuesday, said: "North eastern immigrants to be protected."

She stressed upon the need for all sections to work together to get the coveted Unesco World Heritage Site status for Assam's river island Majuli.

"I will also visit Majuli island on Brahmaputra river in Jorhat district. We should work together in helping Majuli get Unesco's world heritage site. I will spend two days at the island and study all aspects on how we can help Majuli."

Expressing the central government's commitment towards the northeast region, she said schemes and mechanisms will be devised so that erosion is controlled effectively in Assam.

"We are committed to go to any depth in devising schemes which can take care of controlling erosion effectively. If necessary, we will restructure earlier schemes to make them more effective," Uma Bharti said.

"Brahmaputra and Ganga are brother and sister and we are going to accord high priority on management of Brahmaputra water resources," the minister said.

Besides, the BJP leader raised the issue of hydro power potential of the northeast.

"We want to use the water resources of the region to the fullest for the region's development. We are going for restructuring, reframing and reshaping of Brahmaputra Board so that it becomes an effective body for proper utilisation of water resources," Bharti said.

Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, who was also present on the occasion, said the central government should pursue water sharing mechanism of trans-boundary rivers like Brahmaputra by involving China and other countries.