 Early Times Report
Guwahati, Mar 13: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday said that sounds of bombs and gunfire are a thing of the past in the Northeast, and asserted that the BJP ensured long-lasting peace in the region, while the Congress, during its tenure, signed various accords for “selfish political interests”.
Addressing a public meeting in Assam’s Kokrajhar district virtually from Guwahati after rain disrupted his travel schedule, Modi said the state was writing a new chapter of peace and development under the “double-engine” government.
Modi alleged that the Congress endangered national security by handing over the land of indigenous people to infiltrators.
“Punish the Congress in the upcoming elections and send a clear message that there is no place for infiltrators in this country,” he asked the people.
The elections for the 126-member Assam Assembly are likely to be held in April.
Modi alleged that the Congress was always in league with the infiltrators and never legally granted land rights to the state’s indigenous population.
The Congress handed over Adivasi land to the infiltrators, and in districts like Dhubri and Goalpara, the situation was grim, affecting Kokrajhar’s demography, he said.
”I am happy that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma is leading a big drive to clear land from encroachment, and the BJP government has handed rights to the indigenous people. I am also grateful to people from the tribal communities for extending their cooperation in this regard,” the PM said.
Modi alleged that Kokrajhar has witnessed the betrayal of the Congress for decades, as the opposition Congress had made false promises.
”The Congress signed peace accords just for show and for selfish interests, but the BJP worked for permanent peace, and ensured the development of Bodoland,” Modi said.
He said that hills of Bodoland echoed for decades with sounds of guns and bomb blasts, but ”now those days are over, and it is moving ahead in the path of peace and development”.
”The people have suffered and lost a lot over the years….we have seen those difficult days, but now the beats of the ‘kham’ (drum) and ‘siphoong’ (flutes) are heard,” he said.
Only when the people removed the Congress from both the state and the Centre, “we were able to begin the region’s development honestly and sincerely”, Modi said.
In an apparent reference to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Mohabbat ki Dukaan’ (shop of love) slogan, the Prime Minister claimed: “The Congress is a ‘jhute vaido ke dukkan’ (a shop of false promises), and with one lie it gives four more ‘super lies’ as a gift, as they do not have the intention of fulfilling any promise.” In contrast, the model of the ‘double engine’ government is before the people and an honest effort is made to fulfil all the promises made, he said.
The BJP’s double-engine government is committed to preserve cultural traditions and speedy development of the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), he said.
He said that he was indebted to the people of BTR for their love and added, “I have always tried to repay it with my service and speedy development of the region.” Modi also mentioned that he had witnessed the grand spectacle of ‘Bagurumba dwhou’, a Bodo cultural event, at Guwahati in January.
”I feel proud that the Bodo society has kept its language, culture and traditions with such care- whether it is the spiritual traditions of Bathou or the Bwisagu festival, which strengthens Indian civilisation,” he said.
The NDA government is also working to preserve Assam’s heritage and ensure speedy development, Modi said.
”In today’s programme itself, projects worth more than Rs 4,750 crore have been launched with over Rs 1100 crore to be spent on the development of road infrastructure in Bodoland, which will further strengthen road connectivity in the state,” he said.
Trains have also been flagged off, which will not only be convenient for the people but also promote trade and tourism, the PM said, adding that a railway workshop will be set up here and help the region to be a major logistics hub.
Work on railway connectivity with Bhutan is also progressing along with the modernisation of several stations, he said. |
