While campaigning for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the upcoming Assam assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused the Nehru-Gandhi family of harbouring bad feelings for the state as he recalled former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru's controversial remarks during the Chinese aggression of 1962.
While addressing a rally today, Amit Shah pointed out the BJP government’s initiatives for development and peace and said that no one can grab even an inch of land in Assam.
He said, “The Gandhi family, the Nehru family, they have never had good feelings for Assam. In 1962, when China attacked, Jawaharlal Nehru said 'tata-bye-bye' to Assam. Is Assam your father's property? Today I am saying, no one can seize even an inch of Assam's land. This is India's Assam. Brothers and sisters, the state president here is accused of having relations with an enemy nation of India. He says nothing. In 60 years, Congress built three bridges.”
Shah further said, “The BJP has built Asia’s largest bridges, the longest bridges in Assam, in the last 10 years. Four have already been constructed, and two are being built. The BJP’s policy has always been ‘Approach Assam’, ‘Aspire Assam’, and ‘Inspire Assam’.”
The Union Minister highlighted the BJP government’s efforts to bring peace to Assam, saying, “We have worked to bring peace to Assam through 13 agreements. We have liberated Batadrava Than. We have worked to liberate the forests of Kaziranga. We have made Charaideo Maidam a world heritage centre. In Sarusajai Stadium, 11,000 artists performed the Bihu dance together. And we have worked to take the culture of Assam forward.”
He went on to slam the Congress party, alleging it took a soft stance on infiltrators and claimed that during its regime, Assam had been “surrendered” to them. “The Congress government had surrendered this very Assam into the hands of infiltrators. These infiltrators are seizing the land belonging to the poor people of Assam. They have encroached upon the forests of Kaziranga. They are snatching away employment opportunities from our youth. Over the last ten years, the BJP has liberated 1 lakh 50 thousand acres of land from infiltrators across significant parts of Assam. Elect a BJP government here once again, and the BJP government will undertake the task of liberating the entirety of Assam from infiltrators. Make Himanta Biswa Sarma the CM once more, and we will carry out the task of rooting out every single infiltrator,” Shah said.
Amit Shah further criticised the Congress for opposing the construction of the Indian Institute of Management (IIM) at Palasbari, which he said Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought to benefit the youth of the state.
He said, “We must ensure that the BJP wins all six seats in Kamrup, and that a BJP government is formed for the third time. However, this time, we must form a BJP government by crossing the ninety-seat mark. When PM Modi brought the IIM to Palasbari, his objective was to ensure that the youth of Palasbari and Assam could study at the IIM. Yet, the Congress party is opposing the IIM. The Congress party actively worked to obstruct the bill for the Palasbari IIM.”