Guwahati, April 7: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Tuesday launched a sharp attack on the Congress party while addressing a massive election rally in Patharkandi in Assam’s Sribhumi district, asserting that only the BJP can safeguard the state from illegal infiltration and preserve its cultural identity.
HM Shah said the BJP government has already identified infiltrators and vowed that they would be “removed one by one” if the party returns to power. He alleged that illegal migrants were taking away jobs, ration benefits and wages meant for local youth, poor families and tea garden workers. “With BJP-NDA governments in Assam, West Bengal and Tripura, infiltration will be completely stopped,” he declared.
Targeting Congress, HM Shah accused the party of indulging in “vote bank politics” by supporting infiltrators. He said that past Congress governments weakened legal safeguards by scrapping the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act of 1950 and introducing the IMDT Act in 1983, which he claimed gave shelter to illegal migrants.
He also criticised the Congress party for opposing the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying it was necessary to protect persecuted minorities. The Home Minister further said that the BJP alone had the commitment to rename Karimganj as “Sribhumi”, linking it to the region’s cultural heritage.
In a personal attack, HM Shah took aim at Rahul Gandhi, saying that the Congress party under his leadership had declined in public discourse and would not be allowed to turn Assam into an “infiltration-prone state”. Referring to recent remarks by Congress leaders, the Union Home Minister accused them of insulting BJP supporters and Gujarat, and said such statements were against democratic values.
He asserted that the BJP remained committed to protecting Assam’s land, identity and economic interests, while urging voters to reject what he termed Congress’ divisive and appeasement-driven politics. HM Shah said Assam was set to grant the BJP a landslide victory to root out infiltration.
IANS
