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Only BJP can stop infiltrators, send them back, ensure peace in Assam: Amit Shah
Shah said that if the BJP returns to power in Assam, every illegal infiltrator in the state would be identified and sent back to Bangladesh.
Union home minister Amit Shah on Friday said that only the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) can keep Assam safe from illegal infiltrators and urged people to bring the party back to power in the next assembly elections, expected to be held in March–April.
“The Congress encouraged infiltration from Bangladesh and used those people as a vote bank for the sake of power. But the BJP government in Assam has freed over 1.26 lakh bighas (around 41,500 acres) of land from encroachment by these Bangladeshi infiltrators,” Shah said while addressing a public meeting in Dibrugarh.
The BJP has been in power in Assam since 2016, first under Sarbananda Sonowal and then Himanta Biswa Sarma.
Shah said that if the BJP returns to power in Assam for a third consecutive term, every illegal infiltrator in the state would be identified and sent back to Bangladesh. Shah said only the BJP can ensure all-round peace and development in Assam and appealed to voters to re-elect the party.
The Union home minister also accused the Congress of failing to address insurgency-related violence in Assam despite being in power for decades.
“I would like to ask Rahul Gandhi what the Congress gave Assam besides bullets, bomb blasts, struggles and the deaths of youths. After the BJP government under Narendra Modi took charge, over 20 peace accords were signed and more than 10,000 youths laid down arms, making the state secure,” he said.
Shah further said that while every guest at the at-home reception hosted by President Droupadi Murmu on Republic Day wore the traditional ‘gamusa’ (patka), Rahul Gandhi was a notable exception.
During the event, Shah laid the foundation stone of several projects and inaugurated others worth ₹1,715 crore. This included the foundation stone for an assembly building and MLA hostel complex in Dibrugarh, to be constructed at a cost of ₹284 crore, as part of the plan to make the town the second capital of Assam after Dispur in Guwahati.
“During Congress governments, many promises remained unfulfilled. But the BJP government under Himanta Biswa Sarma took the decision to make Dibrugarh the second capital of Assam, and today the foundation stone of the assembly complex has been laid,” he said.
The home minister also inaugurated the first phase of a sports complex in Dibrugarh, with a seating capacity of 5,000 and built at a cost of ₹238 crore, and laid the foundation stone for the second phase of the complex, to be constructed at a cost of ₹209 crore.
Shah further laid the foundation stone for a wildlife health and research centre to be set up at Chabua at a cost of ₹292 crore and launched a ₹692 crore wetland restoration and rejuvenation project aimed at reducing river overflow and the impact of floods during the monsoon.
“Excess water from the Brahmaputra and other rivers will be diverted to these wetlands. We had promised ahead of the 2021 assembly elections that we would find a way to make Assam flood-free, and this project has now been launched ahead of the 2026 elections,” he said.
He added that the wetlands would also function as fisheries to promote pisciculture, serve as water sports facilities and attract tourists.
Later in the day, Shah was scheduled to attend the concluding event of a cultural festival of the Mising tribe at Dhemaji, after which he would travel to Guwahati to interact with BJP leaders and office-bearers to review preparations and strategy for the upcoming assembly elections.
