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BJP against illegal infiltrators, not Assam’s indigenous Muslims: Amit Shah
Amit Shah says BJP targets illegal infiltrators, not Assam’s indigenous Muslims; accuses Congress of giving issue a communal spin ahead of polls
Union home minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is against illegal infiltration from Bangladesh but not opposed to Assam’s indigenous Muslim communities.
Addressing a rally in Assam’s Kaliabor, Shah said the BJP’s stance targets “ghuspethiyes” (illegal immigrants) while respecting native Muslim groups in the state, and accused the Congress of politicising the issue and giving it a communal spin ahead of elections.
“Congress encouraged illegal infiltrators to the state and now the party is giving a Hindu versus Muslim angle (ahead of election),” Shah said.
Shah was seeking support for ruling ally Asom Gana Parishad (AGP)’s Keshab Mahanta, who is also a senior minister in the present government.
The present BJP-led government in the state has carried out massive eviction drives against illegal settlers on government land since 2021, calling it a campaign against Bengali-speaking Muslims with origins in East Pakistan (present-day Bangladesh).
Members of the community who entered Assam after March 24, 1971 (when Bangladesh was formed) are considered illegal foreigners as per provisions of the Citizenship Act.
To be sure, this community is separate from indigenous Muslim groups like Goriya, Moriya, Julha and Syed, who speak Assamese and follow cultural practices distinct from the migrants.
“What did Congress give to Assam during its rule? Between 2004 and 2014, when there were Congress governments both at the Centre and in the state, Assam got ₹1.28 lakh crore. In comparison, between 2014 and 2024, under BJP rule at the Centre, the state got ₹9.78 lakh crore,” said Shah.
He highlighted major development projects undertaken in the state in the past 10–12 years and initiatives such as the Bharat Ratna for Gopinath Bordoloi and Bhupen Hazarika, honour for Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, and classical language status for Assamese.
“Assam was earlier known for bomb blasts and protests, but the BJP government at the Centre signed over 20 peace deals (with rebel groups) that led to over 10,000 youths laying down arms, and now the state is witnessing peace and development,” said Shah.
“The Congress should stop dreaming about forming a government in Assam. The BJP-AGP combination has ruled for 10 years now and will continue to do so for at least another 15 years,” he added.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also addressed election rallies for the BJP and its allies in Assam on Thursday, where he highlighted various connectivity projects undertaken since 2014.
“We are building a two-lane tunnel under the Brahmaputra connecting Numaligarh and Gohpur. Once completed, it will bring down the distance between the two places from six hours to just 30 minutes,” he said at Palashbari on the outskirts of Guwahati.
“The work that we have done in the past 12 years, and the ones that are being undertaken now, will transform roads in Assam completely, and they will be comparable to those in the USA,” he added.
