North East is the 'Crown of India': Rajnath Singh

GUWAHATI: Describing the North East region as the "Crown of India," Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh today said Prime Minister Narenda Modi is giving special attention in bringing the region to focus nationally.

"The North East region is the crown of India and strength of the country. North East cannot be disconnected from India. Guwahati is the gateway to the region, but North East is the highway to Delhi," Singh said while addressing the closing ceremony of the 19th National Youth Festival here.

"There have been complaints in the past that the North East region is disconnected from the mainland. So the Prime Minister and we decided that the all India Director General of Police (DGP) meet for the first time be held in Guwahati," he said adding, the Youth Festival was also being held in the region for the first time.

Stating that the closing ceremony of the Festival coincided with Swami Vivekanada's 152nd birthday anniversary today, the Union Minister said Vivekananda had stayed in the then undivided Assam for one-and-a-half months and had visited Kamakhya temple.