Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday called on the people of Assam to hold the Congress accountable in the upcoming Assembly elections, accusing the party of encouraging illegal infiltration and neglecting the rights of indigenous communities in the state.
Addressing a public gathering in Kokrajhar virtually from Guwahati, the Prime Minister said that the Congress had historically supported illegal infiltrators and failed to protect the interests of local populations. Modi was scheduled to attend the event in person but delivered his speech online due to inclement weather conditions.
During his address, the Prime Minister alleged that for decades Congress governments did not provide land rights to indigenous people in Assam and even allowed land belonging to Adivasi communities to be taken over by infiltrators. He said the situation had once become “very dangerous” in districts such as Dhubri and Goalpara.
Modi praised the current state government for taking strong action against illegal encroachment and for launching initiatives to restore land rights to indigenous communities. He urged voters to send a strong political message in the upcoming elections by rejecting parties that support infiltration.
Criticising the Congress, Modi described the party as one that makes promises it never intends to fulfill. In contrast, he said the “double engine government” of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the National Democratic Alliance is working sincerely to deliver on its commitments.
Highlighting development initiatives in the Bodoland Territorial Region, Modi said that the promises made under the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord are being implemented step by step. He noted that the Bodo language has been granted associate official status in Assam, and the region has received a special financial assistance package of ₹1,500 crore.
During his two-day visit to Assam, the Prime Minister is set to inaugurate and lay the foundation stones for projects worth more than ₹47,600 crore. In Kokrajhar alone, he launched and laid the groundwork for projects worth over ₹4,570 crore, including the Assam Mala 3.0 road infrastructure initiative and six major road development projects in the Bodoland Territorial Council area.
In addition, Modi laid the foundation stone for a Periodic Overhauling (POH) railway wagon workshop at Bashbari and flagged off three new train services aimed at improving connectivity across Assam and the North-East. The new trains include the Kamakhya–Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express, the Guwahati–New Jalpaiguri Express, and the Narangi–Agartala Express, which are expected to strengthen transportation links across the region.
