Goalpara (Assam) [India], April 3 : As Assam Assembly elections near, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday promised that a third consecutive BJP government would tackle infiltrators in the state and focus on the development and welfare of tribal communities.
Addressing a gathering here, Shah accused the Congress of turning Assam into a hub for infiltrators.
"The Congress turned Assam into a hub for infiltrators. If their government comes to power, infiltrators will infiltrate even within our tribal areas. You form the BJP government for the third time. Next time I come, the BJP government will selectively send back the infiltrators. All infiltrators have been identified. Time is a bit short. Give us five years, and we will selectively remove the identified infiltrators," Shah said.
Shah highlighted the BJP's focus on tribal welfare, contrasting it with Congress' record. He said that the budget allocated for the development of tribal society was Rs 25,000 crore during the Congress rule and has been increased to Rs 1.38 crore under the Narendra Modi government.
"The Congress comes here time and again to contest elections, but never once speaks about the welfare of the tribal community. 75 years had passed, but they never made a single tribal woman the President. Only PM Modi elevated our sister Droupadi Murmu to the position of the President. During the Congress tenure, from independence until 2013, the budget for the development of tribal society was Rs 25,000 crore. PM Modi increased it to Rs 1.38 crore," the Union Home Minister said.
Shah said that the BJP will establish a large dairy in every district of Assam and provide one cow and one buffalo to every tribal household.
"For tribal communities across the country, PM Modi has promoted their art, their culture, their cuisine, their attire, their music, and their dance on the world stage. This Dudhnoi River is known as the river of milk, which is why it got the name Dudhnoi. Is there even a single dairy here? Elect our candidate and send him to the Assembly; the BJP will establish a large dairy in every district of Assam and provide one cow and one buffalo to every tribal household," he added.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, speaking at a rally in Barpeta, praised the NDA government's initiatives.
"On one hand, the NDA government led by the BJP has worked to advance India's culture, India's traditions, and India's heritage; it is providing security and achieving the goal of good governance, and through service, it is working to deliver the benefits of a non-discriminatory governance plan to every village, the poor, farmers, youth, and women; NDA double-engine government has shown commitment to transforming Assam's renaissance within 10 years, while on the other hand, the Congress-led government, over 60 years, promoted anarchy, riots, and infiltration in Assam, thereby obstructing security here," he added.
BJP national president Nitin Nabin, speaking from Kamrup, said, "We will fight to ensure Assam gets its due. If anyone has worked to return to the people of Assam the land that was usurped and handed over to infiltrators by the Congress government of that time, it is the BJP-NDA government that has done it, the government led by Himanta Biswa Sarma has done it."
Union Minister of State (MoS) Pabitra Margherita expressed confidence in the prospects of the BJP in the state, particularly in the Nazira constituency.
"I'm not commenting on the numbers or how many seats we're going to get. But I can assure you that in this particular seat, the NDA candidate or BJP candidate, Mayur Borgohain, will definitely get the mandate and blessings from the people of Nazira with a margin of at least 30,000 votes," he said in a public rally.
Expressing confidence, he further added, "In every seat, the people of Assam are showering their blessings upon us. We are confident that for the third consecutive time, we are going to form the government."
The BJP released its manifesto on Tuesday, outlining 31 promises aimed at transforming Assam into a "brightest state."
Assam is set to go into single-phase elections on April 9 on 126 seats across the state. The Bharatiya Janata Party, in alliance with Asom Gana Parishad and Bodoland People's Front, aims to retain power for the third consecutive time.
On the other hand, Congress is challenging the BJP-led alliance with a six-party bloc including Congress, Assam Jati Parishad (AJP), Raijor Dal, CPI(M), CPI(ML), and the All Party Hill Leaders Conference.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4.