Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday alleged that the Congress has subjected Assam to decades of “step-motherly” treatment and called on voters to penalise the party in the April 9 assembly election by withholding their support. He made the remarks while addressing an election rally in Tezpur and Dergaon to campaign for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and National Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidates.
Singh accused the Congress of supporting illegal infiltrators and stated that the current BJP state government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma is working to remove them.
He said, “In the 10 years of BJP governance, Assam has earned a new identity. Congress administrations consistently treated Assam in a step-motherly way and ignored it. They kept Assam distant not only from Dilli (Delhi), but also from Dil (heart) and Dimaag (mind). Today, people no longer speak about terrorism in Assam; instead, they talk about development and connectivity.”
Singh added, "According to the Reserve Bank of India, Assam is currently the fastest-growing state in the country. This progress is attributed to consistent efforts to develop infrastructure and industry under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the state government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma."
He stated that from 2001 to 2015, Assam recorded an average of 313 terrorist incidents each year, whereas under BJP governance, several peace agreements have been concluded with insurgent groups and over 7,500 armed militants have surrendered their weapons.
Congress leaders have insulted the youth of Assam by asking why a semiconductor plant was being established here, claiming the state lacked talent. That is why I urge voters not to forgive the party in this election, he said.
Singh alleged that the Congress had promoted the entry of illegal migrants from Bangladesh for vote-bank politics, thereby disturbing the state’s demographic balance. "They sank to a very low level merely to secure votes and cling to power. However, our government has removed these illegal occupants from encroached land, including religious locations such as the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Shankardev," he said.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis also held two election rallies in Assam, one in Jorhat and another in Dibrugarh. In Jorhat, BJP MLA and former assembly speaker Hitendra Nath Goswami is contesting against Congress state president Gaurav Gogoi, while in Dibrugarh, cabinet minister Prasanta Phukan is in the fray.
Prime Minister Modi has come to Assam 35 times since 2014, but the Congress candidate from Jorhat, Gaurav Gogoi, who is also the local MP, has not visited this area even 10 times. This shows they are not truly concerned about the region or its people and are only interested in gaining political power through family legacy, Fadnavis said in Jorhat.
He said in Dibrugarh that during previous Congress governments, unrest and insurgency in Assam had encouraged some neighbouring countries to dream of breaking the state apart. However, those ambitions were crushed under Narendra Modi’s leadership, following the signing of several peace agreements with rebel groups that brought stability, and now Assam is rapidly progressing towards development.BJP leader Smriti Irani also held two election rallies in Assam on Tuesday, one in Dhemaji and the other in Jonai.