Guwahati: The BJP president Amit Shah on Wednesday promised to stop infiltration to Assam from Bangladesh across the border and facilitate all-encompassing development of the state if the BJP is voted to power in the state after the coming Assembly polls.
Addressing two rallies in Assam – at Kokrajhar and Nagaon – Amit Shah stated that illegal migrants from Bangladesh had robbed the indigenous youth of Assam of livelihood options besides posing threat to the identity of the sons of the soil.
“A BJP government in Assam will ensure no more illegal migration from Bangladesh by securing the border,” Shah said and accused the ruling Congress party in Assam of encouraging illegal migration from Bangladesh. Shah addressed a party workers’ rally in Nagaon and the celebration of 14th Bodoland Day in Kokrajhar organized by BJP’s ally Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) that is in power in Bodoland Territorial Autonomous District Council (BTC).
Promising uniform and all-encompassing development of every nook and corer of the state, he fired a broadside at Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government in Assam for retarding the pace of development in the state. He accused chief minister Gogoi of running a corrupt government.
“Assam is rich in natural resources, efficient work forces and great tourism potential. Yet the state is lagging behind in all fronts, be it unavailability of power, roads, safe drinking water or basic health care in rural areas. Even the one-horned rhino that attracts so many tourists to Assam could not be protected by the present Congress government as about 100 rhinos have been poached in the last three years. Number of unemployed has increased from 9 lakhs to 23 lakhs in the last 15 years” he said.
Addressing the rally in Kokrajhar, Shah pledged the BJP-led NDA government would grant more than the Rs 1000 crore development fund demanded by the ruling BPF for the BTC areas.
He appealed to the people of Bodoland areas in Assam to facilitate a BJP-BPF (Bodoland People’s Front) government in Assam for the sake of development.
Meanwhile, chief minister Tarun Gogoi rebutted allegations made by Amit Shah saying, “If my government is corrupt why the BJP has allowed one of my former ministers (Himanta Bishwa Sharma) to join their party. If the BJP loves Assam so much, then why the special status of the state has been done away with by the BJP in the Centre.”
