Gogamukh/Behali (Assam), Apr 1 (PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday launched the BJP’s poll campaign in Assam, predicting a “hat-trick” for his party with people’s blessings and asserted that the Congress will achieve a “century of defeats” in elections.
He also accused the Congress of planning to bring a law to protect infiltrators if it comes to power, which the BJP and its allies will not allow.
Modi began his day-long campaign with a visit to the Manohari Tea Estate in Dibrugarh district, where he plucked tea leaves alongside women workers and interacted with them.
“Tea is the soul of Assam! The tea from here has made its way across the world. It was a very memorable experience,” he said in a post on X. His visit to the tea garden ahead of next week’s elections in the state assumes significance as the workforce from over 850 gardens in the state forms a formidable chunk of the electorate.
Tea workers traditionally exercised their franchise in favour of the Congress for decades, but there has been a significant swing towards the BJP since the 2014 Parliamentary polls. In the last two Assembly elections, their votes gave the saffron party a decisive victory in tea garden-dominated constituencies.
Addressing a rally at Gogamukh in Dhemaji district, Modi alleged that the Congress “if it comes to power in Assam, will bring in a law to protect infiltrators, which the BJP and its allies will not allow.” He claimed that before 2014, the Congress “tried to introduce a law at the Centre” but was opposed by the NDA.
He also accused the grand old party of “trying to divide the country as the Muslim League did during Partition”.
“The Congress has also stabbed the Constitution prepared by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” Modi said.
“For the Congress, there are two families -one in Delhi and another in Assam, and their priority is the interest of their families and not that of the people,” the PM said.
He was alluding to the Gandhi family and that of state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi.
Speaking at another rally at Behali in Biswanath district, Modi alleged that the Congress did “not deliver justice to Assam’s resources”, while the “BJP is utilising the state’s diverse assets for its development”.
He accused the Congress of being “opposed to development and ‘bhrastachar ki janani’ (mother of corruption)”.
“They (Congress) have compromised Assam’s ‘aatma’ (soul), ‘shaan’ (pride), ‘pehchan’ (identity) and ‘suraksha’ (security),” Modi alleged.
He also charged the Congress with encouraging infiltrators to ”settle on sattras, namghars and temple land parcels in various districts of the state to create a vote bank”.
“The BJP has taken action in this regard and is freeing encroached land from the clutches of illegal immigrants,” Modi said.
”Congress’ corruption also spread to many areas and led to the encroachment of forest land and sanctuaries, endangering the existence of one-horned rhinoceros. The BJP’s double-engine government has taken tough action and changed the scenario,” he said.
The PM also accused the grand old party of not giving land rights to tea garden workers for building their houses.
”The tea industry in Assam is 200 years old. The Congress was in power for over 60 years. The party made tea garden workers struggle for their basic rights, but the BJP is correcting this wrong,” he claimed.
Modi asserted that the BJP has started giving land rights to tea garden workers, which “the Congress failed to provide in 60 years”.
The PM said if the BJP returns to power, it will “implement the Uniform Civil Code and safeguard tribals under the Sixth schedule to protect Assam’s identity”.
Modi asserted that all are saying that only the BJP-led NDA can build modern infrastructure in Assam.
He claimed that the Congress had only built three bridges over the Brahmaputra river in 60-65 years, while “the BJP has constructed five bridges in ten years, which has made the lives and livelihoods of people much easier”.
”It is not that Assam lacks resources, but the Congress, in its quest for power, divided the Assamese society and did not let the people of the two banks of the Brahmaputra river meet. The NDA government understood the pain and hardships, and took the initiative of building bridges,” Modi said.
The BJP, in its manifesto, has announced projects worth around Rs 1,800 crore to make Assam free from floods, he said.
He said the world knows Assam for its tea, but now the state will also be known for its semiconductor chips manufactured at the Jagiroad facility.
Modi claimed that more than 22 lakh poor families have been given pucca houses in the last 10 years of the BJP rule, and the party guarantees to provide the same to 15 lakh more families.
The PM asserted that the BJP’s double-engine government will ensure that 40 lakh women become ‘Lakhpati’ from the present count of three lakh.
“The people should vote for ‘Vikas’ and ‘Virasat’,” the PM said and guaranteed that he will ensure Assam’s progress further.
“The BJP will make a hat-trick in Assam elections with people’s blessings, whereas the Congress will make a century of defeats in elections,” he added.
Elections to Assam’s 126 assembly constituencies will be held on April 9, with counting of votes on May 4. PTI DG BDC PYK MNB
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