Guwahati: Alleging that the Congress has neglected Assam and the Northeast for decades, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday asserted the BJP government was correcting “mistakes” the grand old party kept making in the region.
Addressing a public meeting after inaugurating the new terminal of the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati, Modi alleged that the development of Assam and the Northeast was never part of the Congress’s agenda.
“The Congress gave protection to infiltrators who grabbed forests and land, threatening the security and identity of Assam… The BJP government has been correcting mistakes the Congress kept making for decades in the Northeast,” he claimed.
The PM reached Assam from West Bengal, where he addressed a rally. Elections would be due in both states in less than six months.
Modi said the Election Commission started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure infiltrators were kept out of the poll process, “but ‘deshdrohis’ (traitors) were trying to protect them”.
He said that prior to Independence, when the Muslim League and the British were preparing the ground for India’s Partition, a conspiracy was hatched to make Assam a part of East Pakistan.
“Congress was going to be part of this conspiracy. It was Gopinath Bardoloi who stood against his own party, opposed this plot to destroy Assam’s identity, and saved Assam from being separated from the country,” he claimed.
The PM said the BJP rises above party lines to honour every patriot, and the Vajpayee government conferred Bardoloi with Bharat Ratna.
“Bardoloi had saved Assam before Independence, but the ruling dispensation in the post-Independence era once again began anti-national activities, conspiring to expand their vote bank through religious appeasement, giving free rein to infiltrators in Bengal and Assam,” he alleged.
Modi claimed that the region’s demography was altered, with infiltrators resorting to encroachment, and as a result, the security and identity of the entire state were put at risk.
“The present state government under Himanta Biswa Sarma is working diligently to free Assam’s resources from illegal and anti-national encroachments. Efforts are being made at every level to ensure that the resources of the state benefit its own people. The Centre has also taken strict measures to stop infiltration,” he said.
“The opposition has openly adopted an anti-national agenda, even as the Supreme Court has directed the removal of infiltrators. These parties are issuing statements in defence of infiltrators, and their lawyers are pleading in court to settle them,” he alleged.
Stating that this “anti-national mindset” could bring back unrest in the state, Modi said it is, therefore, essential for the people to remain vigilant, stay united, and continue defeating the opposition’s “conspiracies”.
The PM said development under the BJP’s “double-engine government” was flowing unabated in Assam, just like the flow of the mighty Brahmaputra river.
“My attachment to the land of Assam inspires me, gives me strength for the development of the region. Assam and the entire Northeast are becoming the gateway to India’s development. Every state, each region of the country has an important role to play in the mission of a developed India,” he said.
“The development of Assam is not only a necessity but also a responsibility and an accountability for me. In the past 11 years, development projects worth lakhs of crores of rupees have been initiated in Assam and the Northeast,” he added.
The PM said the government was working to build a developed India by 2047, focusing on infrastructure and ensuring that every state progresses together.
“Assam and the Northeast are leading this mission. The region has got priority through the Act East Policy with Assam emerging as India’s eastern gateway,” he said.
Modi said Assam is playing the role of a bridge, connecting the nation with ASEAN countries, and the state will become an engine of developed India in many sectors.
The PM said that Assam’s development could be achieved because the government is safeguarding the identity and culture of the region.
Alleging that the previous regime kept development away from the region, Modi said the nation had to pay a heavy price in terms of security, unity, and integrity.
“Violence thrived for decades, while efforts were made in the last 10-11 years to end it once and for all. Today, digital connectivity through 4G and 5G technology is reaching these areas,” he said.
“Districts once considered violence-affected are now being developed as aspirational districts, and in the coming times, these very regions will become industrial corridors,” he said.
Modi said that when people witness the construction of highways and airports in Assam, they acknowledge that true justice has been delivered.
“The opposition questioned the need for modern airports, highways, and better railways in the region. This mindset led the opposition to neglect the entire region for decades,” he alleged.
“There is a new confidence in the Northeast, and there is a need to strengthen it further,” he said.
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