Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said Assam and the rest of the Northeast were suffering from infiltration due to the policies of the Congress and asserted that he, as the 'chowkidar', was committed to resolve the issue.
He also said it was the erstwhile Jana Sangh and tall leaders such as Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who had raised their voice in support of Bangladesh during the neighbouring country's independence movement, and not as the Opposition usually portrayed it.
"Congress has always cheated the people of Assam and if Sardar (Vallabhbhai) Patel and (first Assam chief minister) Gopinath Bordoloi had not taken a strong stand at the time of Partition, then Assam's identity would not have been what it is today," Modi said while addressing the second of the two election rallies at Gohpur in Assam.
Indirectly referring to the Chinese aggression of 1962, Modi said the Congress policy was such that it was only due to the brave people of Tezpur and the armed forces that the state could be saved.
"This chowkidar is committed to fight against Assam's problems of infiltration, terrorism and corruption and ensure the dignity of the people of the State," he said. He urged the people to remember on polling day that Assam and the country can become free from illegal migrants and terrorists only if the BJP-led NDA is voted as on one side is the 'dumdaar chowkidar' (strong watchman) and on the other ''mahamilawat wala parivar'' (adulterated family).
Modi has targeted the opposition alliance as ''mahamilawat".
He highlighted the role played by the right-wing Jana Sangh, which was recreated as the BJP in 1980, and Atal Bihari Vajpayee in supporting Bangladesh liberation movement. Indira Gandhi, who was prime minister of the country during creation of Bangladesh in 1971, is usually credited for its liberation from Pakistan.
Modi had in 2015 received award of Bangladesh Liberation War Honour on behalf of Vajpayee for his "active role" in the country's independence struggle and consolidating India's friendship with the nation.
