Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for development projects worth Rs 340 crore on Thursday in the Kalol and Gandhinagar (North) Assembly constituencies of Gujarat's Gandhinagar.
He also inaugurated a primary school during the visit.
Speaking to the gathering, Shah noted that in the past ten days he had inaugurated and laid foundation stones for projects worth Rs 1,200 crore across two Assembly constituencies in Gandhinagar district.
He expressed confidence that by the 2029 Lok Sabha elections, work to develop gardens and ponds in every village in the Kalol and Gandhinagar (North) constituencies would be completed. Shah also mentioned the introduction of small libraries in villages to help keep youth away from bad habits and aid personal development.
“Sports, libraries, and gardens are essential for the development of a well-rounded personality,” Shah said, emphasising the balanced approach towards building clean villages, ponds, gardens, and conducting tree plantation drives.
He added that the development campaign initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Gujarat 25 years ago has now reached its peak. Shah expressed confidence that the Gandhinagar Lok Sabha constituency would become the most developed parliamentary constituency in the country.
Noting that the development journey begun by Modi in Gujarat continues uninterrupted, the Home Minister said the Modi government has completed 12 years in office. During this period, the Gujarat model of development has expanded nationwide, “from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and from Gangasagar to Somnath,” leading the party to power across nearly 80 per cent of India’s geographical area.
Shah also referred to efforts along the course of the Ganga River, stating, “From Gangotri in Uttarakhand to Gangasagar in West Bengal, it is Prime Minister Modi and the party who have worked to ensure the spread of saffron influence.”
Regarding West Bengal, Shah recalled the party’s promise during elections to fence the Bangladesh border immediately after forming government. He stated that fencing and developing anti-infiltration infrastructure along the Bangladesh border is a priority.
“West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari handed over 600 hectares of land to the Border Security Force within seven days of the formation of the government,” Shah said, adding that 121 hectares of land for the Chicken’s Neck Corridor were also transferred to the central government.
He observed that infiltration, which occurred daily under the previous state government, has now decreased as infiltrators have started returning independently. Shah noted that the West Bengal government has established detention centres.
“The government wants those who entered India illegally through infiltration to return to the places from where they came,” Shah said. He added that if infiltrators return voluntarily, the West Bengal government will neither file cases against them nor hinder their return, and will assist them in going back.
Shah expressed hope that infiltrators would return voluntarily even before the identification campaign begins. He affirmed the government’s commitment to identifying and expelling every infiltrator from the country.
Highlighting the establishment of a high-level committee by Prime Minister Modi to address demographic change, Shah said it will conduct a comprehensive study of artificial demographic changes occurring nationwide, their causes, and preventive measures.
“If there is a need to enact any law for this purpose, the committee will also make recommendations accordingly,” he said. Shah added that the committee will submit its report within one year, and the government will act firmly to prevent artificial demographic changes.