Guwahati, Sep 14 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday took a potshot at the Congress party, alleging that the opposition, while in power in Assam, gave shelter to infiltrators and failed to bring development to the state.
Kickstarting several projects in the Golaghat district, PM Modi said, “Congress ruled in Assam for several decades. However, they failed to bring development in the state; rather, the Congress party provided shelter to the infiltrators, which brought demographic alterations in Assam.”
Hailing the efforts by the present BJP government in Assam, the Prime Minister said, “The current ruling dispensation in the state has taken up the challenge to make Assam free from illegal infiltrators. The BJP government has been taking several measures to ensure the rights of the indigenous people of Assam by providing land patta to the Scheduled Tribes (ST).”
He also argued that the BJP government has focused on development, and Assam has witnessed several development initiatives in recent years due to the good work of the double-engine government.
Earlier, the Prime Minister launched a sharp attack on the Congress, alleging that the wounds inflicted on the people of Assam by the policies of Jawaharlal Nehru during the 1962 Chinese aggression were “yet to heal.”
Addressing a massive public rally in Darrang district, the Prime Minister said Assam and the Northeast were left to fend for themselves when Chinese troops advanced, exposing what he called the “betrayal” of the then Congress leadership. “The scars of that neglect are still remembered by the people of Assam. The Congress of today continues with the same mindset — protecting infiltrators and anti-national forces instead of standing firmly with our Army and our nation,” he said.
PM Modi accused the Congress of “playing with the security and identity of Assam” by allegedly shielding illegal infiltrators and conspiring to alter the state’s demography. He contrasted this with the BJP’s stance, asserting that his party would never allow infiltrators to grab Assam’s land or undermine its cultural fabric.
Lashing out at the grand old party’s record, the Prime Minister said: “Congress ruled Assam for decades but built only three bridges over the Brahmaputra. In the last 10 years, our government has completed six new bridges. This shows the difference between their negligence and our commitment to connectivity and development.”
–IANS
tdr/uk
