Modi Criticizes Congress, Highlights Progress in Assam

Guwahati: Out of power for over 10 years, Congress has become more poisonous now, Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated in poll-bound Assam on Saturday while charging that the opposition party put the nation including Assam into trouble while BJP was providing a solution. Experience a more refined e-paper today "Congress kept Assam disturbed by pushing the state into bandh, violence and conflict. More than 1,000 people used to die in Assam every year and Congress was responsible for this. Now, many youths have given up weapons and joined the constitutional path and the process of peace and development," Modi said while addressing booth-level workers of BJP at Khanapara in Guwahati. "As Congress have remained out of power for more than 10 years now, they have become more poisonous. Congress wants to push Assam into the tension again, they want to handover the state to infiltrators. Their leaders in Delhi and here also are trying to protect the ghuspetias (infiltrators)," Modi said. Urging the Booth level workers to ensure BJP's victory for the third term in a row in Assam, Modi stated that BJP was trying to provide solution to the problems which the state faced due to Congress. "During Congress time, Assam's share from central taxes was Rs 10,000 crores only. This has gone up to Rs 50,000 crores now. Assam got Rs 5.5 lakh crores in budget. Can the Congress party, which was reluctant to pay, work for Assam's development? Roads and highways have been revamped, five new bridges constructed over the river Brahmaputra, new airports set up...Seeing all these, Congress leaders have lost their sleep. So they are trying to create trouble by siding with those who wants to divide the nation and the Northeast. The Muslim League had divided the nation, Congress has now become Maoist Muslim Congress. So people of Assam needs to be alert of Congress." Emergency landing facility - Earlier in the morning, Modi unveiled a newly constructed Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) by landing on a highway at Sonari in eastern Assam's Dibrugarh district. A Herculus C 130J aircraft of the IAF with Modi on board landed on the ELF. The state government said nearly Rs 100 crores have been spend for construction of the facility, which is first in Assam and the Northeast. The ELF, according to the state government, can allow landing of both defence and civilian aircrafts during emergencies. "The emergency landing on a highway also proves that India is preparing in all ways to secure it, not just securing the borders but can give reply to its enemies by entering their homes. The Opposition Sindoor carried out after the terror attack in Pulwama is an example." Before addressing the BJP workers, Modi inaugurated a six-lane new bridge over the Brahmaputra connecting Guwahati with North Guwahati, a National Data Centre for North Eastern Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district, an IIM at Guwahati and also flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme in Guwahati (100), Nagpur (50), Bhavnagar (50) and Chandigarh (25). Reacting to inauguration of projects by the PM, senior observer of Congress in Assam and former Jharkhand Minister, Bandhu Tirkey, said Modi should focus on Assam's "deteriorating communal harmony and corruption" instead of "electoral giveaways." "Assam is a sensitive state, where harmony among diverse communities and religions holds historical importance. However, since the BJP government came to power in the state under the leadership of Himanta Biswa Sarma, communal harmony has deteriorated and an atmosphere of bitterness has developed among the general public, which is unfortunate," said a statement quoting Tirkey, issued by Assam Pradesh Congress Committee. Congress president in Assam and Lok Sabha Member Gaurav Gogoi said while Modi inaugurated the emergency landing facility in Dibrugarh district, why the airfare between Dibrugarh and Delhi stood at Rs 14,000 to Rs 15,000. "BJP talks about protecting the indigenous communities, but why it has failed to fulfill the promise of giving ST status to six more ethnic communities?" Gogoi said.