Shah rallies Assam against Congress

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused the Congress of changing the demography of Assam by supporting infiltrators. He further claimed that the BJP-led Government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi is working to reverse the trend. Addressing the closing ceremony of the 10th Mising Youth Festival organised by Takam Mising Porin Kebang  (All Mising Students’ Union) at Kareng Chapori here as the chief guest, Shah appealed to people to vote for the BJP in the upcoming Assembly elections to free the state from infiltration.

“Assam’s demography totally changed during the Congress rule. The population of infiltrators rose to 64 lakh from nil, and infiltrators became a majority in seven districts,” he alleged. “If you want to stop infiltration in Assam, then elect the BJP Government for a third term and strengthen the hands of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma in the fight against illegal immigrants. Two BJP State Governments in Assam have freed 1.26 lakh acres of land from encroachment by infiltrators,” he added. The Union home minister also stressed the role played by the Mising community in stopping infiltrators from settling in Upper Assam through their lifestyle of hard work.

“It’s the responsibility of the Mising community to stop infiltration. You do not need to take up guns. Through your culture of hard work, infiltrators have not been able to come to this side,” he said.

Earlier on the day, addressing a public rally in Dibrugarh, Shah accused Congress leader Rahul Gandhi of disrespecting the North East by refusing to wear a <gamosa></i> (traditional men’s scarf), presented by President Droupadi Murmu at the ‘At Home’ reception hosted by her on Republic Day. All dignitaries, including those from abroad, had worn the scarf as a mark of respect, but Gandhi was the “only person to refuse” to do so, Shah alleged.

“Rahul Gandhi can do whatever he wants, but as long as the BJP is in power, it will not allow any disrespect of the North East’s culture,” he said. Shah also said that the Congress did nothing for Assam’s development. “I want to ask Rahul Gandhi what his party has given to Assam except guns, bullets, conflicts and deaths of youth,” the union home minister said.

Shah also accused the Congress of using infiltration as a “weapon of its vote bank politics”. “There has been no infiltration in Assam since the BJP came to power. Those who had come to India illegally will be identified and sent back,” he added. Shah alleged that the Congress had issued a toolkit to defame Assam and its tea industry. The recent free trade agreement (FTA) between India and the EU will ensure that Assam tea shipments will go to European countries with zero tariff, he said. “The EU-India trade pact will boost Assam tea exports to European countries”, he asserted.