HM Shah said this while addressing a rally in Lakhimpur Parliamentary constituency in Assam.
The Union Minister also said that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi should recall that when his grandmother (late Prime Minister) Indira Gandhi was at the helm in the Centre, thousands of youth in Assam died due to violence.
HM Shah further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi brought back peace to the northeastern region with at least 9,000 militants surrendering along with arms and returning to the mainstream.
“In 1962, Nehru said ‘bye bye’ to Assam and Arunachal Pradesh amid Chinese onslaught. People in these states will always remember that,” HM Shah said, adding: “China could no longer invade even a single square inch of our territory, nevertheless. We forced them to retreat, even in Doklam.”
HM Shah also criticised the Congress over the ‘Bangladeshi infiltration’ issue.
He said: “Earlier, the borders were kept open for infiltration but since the BJP came to power in the state and Centre, the infiltration was totally stopped.”
The former BJP president also praised Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for putting a brake on the poaching of rhinos in the Kaziranga National Park.
“Kaziranga was freed from encroachments and the state government took proper steps to put an end to rhino poaching. During the Congress regime, the rhinos were not secure,” he said.
HM Shah pointed out that in 80 per cent of the state, the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act has been repealed.
“The Congress signed the Assam Accord, but they didn’t fulfill the clauses even after several years. All of the clauses of the Bodo Accord were met in less than two years after we signed it,” he said.
“Child marriages have been stopped by Himanta Biswa Sarma. There is a UCC in Uttarakhand,” he added.
HM Shah also urged the voters to support the NDA candidates in each northeastern Lok Sabha seat, stating that the region’s development is essential to the country’s overall progress.
IANS