PM Modi ups ante, lashes out at Opp Cong in Assam poll rally

GUWAHATI:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi lashed out at the Congress during a poll rally in southern Assam’s Karimganj district on Thursday, saying that the grand old party “is in a state of confusion in choosing its allies” ahead of the Assam Assembly elections.

Addressing the crowd at Bhatgram, Modi, who is leading the BJP star campaign in Assam, said the Congress has “become so weak that it can go to the extent of shaking hands with anyone… be it in poll-bound Assam, West Bengal or Kerala. Today, Congress has, “no neta (leader), no niti (policy) and no vichaar dhara (ideas).”

It was the Prime Minister’s fourth poll rally in Assam this year and the first after the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the dates for the three-phase polls.

“Today, Congress is in a state of confusion, as it talks against a party in one state and embraces the very same party in another state. So if a party is in such indecision and uncertainty, can it give Assam a stable government, can it secure Assam’s future?” he asked.

Taking an oblique dig (naming no one) at the Opposition party for allying with the Badruddin Ajmal-led All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Modi said, “Congress has joined hands with a party that it fought against. So it appears that for the sake of bagging votes, Congress can betray anyone.”

Modi also referred to a video circulated on social media about a ‘goof-up’ by Congress leaders, who were heard saying that the promises made in the manifesto (ghoshna patra) were just for announcement and not for implementation on the ground.

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“So it means the Congress prepares a manifesto after internal discussion and not based on people’s views and suggestions. It (Congress) probably does not know that the people today are informed, aware and enlightened. Congress is cut off from the ground realities,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister further pulled up the Congress for “neglecting Assam” and “disconnecting the state.”

“Decades of corruption had placed Assam among the most disconnected states in the country. But today, the BJP-led government is rectifying what the Congress had undone in the past tenures in Assam,” he said.

Reiterating the saffron party’s development push to Assam and the entire Northeast, Modi said the BJP government had made all efforts to convert the region into a development hub.

“So I request the people of Assam to vote for the NDA and enable the double engine government to make the people of Assam more strong and resilient. In the past five years, we fast-tracked development, and in the next five years, we will further speed up the pace of progress,” he claimed.

Terming Barak Valley as the gateway to the double-engine (BJP) government, Modi said that three decades back, Barak Valley had given the NDA nine out of the fifteen seats.

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The Prime Minister also said there is a “wave of development and trust” in Assam today, adding that infrastructure projects were being developed on a mission mode.

Modi also talked about improved rail and gas connectivity in Barak Valley and the state under the BJP’s rule.

“Today, improved roads, bridges, flyovers have come up in Assam under the BJP government. Air, rail and water routes are being strengthened in Assam. We have established a heart-to-heart connection with people by improving physical connectivity,” he added.

The Prime Minister also talked about the government schemes for the economically disadvantaged sections in Assam, particularly during the COVID-19 triggered lockdown, when free ration, gas cylinders, etc., were distributed.

“BJP has tried to connect Assam from all sides… sab ka saath, sab kas vishwaas, sab ka vikaas… this has been our development mantra,” he said.

He also touched upon the government’s initiatives for providing land rights, free treatment under Ayushman Bharat and benefits to farmers under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, apart from the schemes for tea garden workers in Assam, be it land patta, schools for children or empowering women.

(Edited by Andre Kongri)