Union defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday accused the Congress of treating Assam in a “step-motherly manner” for decades and urged state voters to punish the party in the April 9 assembly election by not voting for it. He was addressing an election meeting to seek support for Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates at Tezpur and Dergaon.
Singh blamed the Congress for encouraging illegal infiltrators and said that the current BJP state government under Himanta Biswa Sarma is making efforts to drive them out.
“Assam has got a new recognition under 10 years of BJP rule. Congress governments always treated Assam in a step-motherly manner and neglected it. It kept Assam not just far from Dilli (Delhi), but also from Dil (Heart) and Dimaag (Mind). Now no one talks of terrorism in Assam, but about development and connectivity,” he said.
“The Reserve Bank of India states that Assam is the fastest growing state in the country. It’s due to sustained efforts at developing infrastructure and industry under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government under Himanta Biswa Sarma,” added Singh.
He said that Assam witnessed an average of 313 terrorist incidents annually between 2001 and 2015 while under BJP rule, multiple peace deals have been signed with rebel groups and more than 7,500 armed cadres have laid down arms.
“Congress leaders have abused the youth of Assam by questioning why a semiconductor plant was being set here as the state didn’t have any talent, Congress leaders have abused the youths of Assam. That’s why I appeal to voters not to forgive the party in this election,” he said.
Singh accused the Congress of encouraging illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh for vote bank politics and destabilising the state’s demography. “They stooped very low just to secure votes and remain in power. But our government has evicted these illegal settlers from encroached lands including religious sites like the birthplace of Vaishnavite sant Srimanta Shankardev,” he said.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also addressed two election meetings in Assam in Jorhat and Dibrugarh. BJP MLA and former assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami is contesting from Jorhat against Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi and cabinet minister Prasanta Phukan is contesting from Dibrugarh.
“Prime Minister Modi has visited Assam 35 times since 2014, but the Congress candidate from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, who is also the local MP, hasn’t visited this place even 10 times. It’s because they are not concerned about the area and its people and only want political power through family heritage,” said Fadnavis in Jorhat.
“Due to unrest and insurgency in Assam during past Congress governments, some of our neighbouring countries used to dream of breaking up the state. But their dreams were shattered under Narendra Modi’s rule (due to signing of multiple peace deals with rebel groups that ushered peace) and now Assam is fast moving towards development,” he said in Dibrugarh.
BJP leader Smriti Irani also addressed two election meetings in Assam at Dhemaji and Jonai on Tuesday.
