Congress settled illegal Bangladeshi migrants to strengthen vote-bank, claims PM Modi in Assam
GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday attacked the Congress on the issue of illegal Bangladeshi migrants, accusing the party of settling and protecting them, while asserting that the BJP-led double-engine government was correcting decades of neglect and policy failures in Assam. Addressing a gathering after laying the foundation stone for a Rs 10,601 crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Assams Dibrugarh, Modi further accused the Congress of promoting what he termed an anti-India agenda and remaining indifferent to the identity and aspirations of the Assamese people. The Congress has no concern for the identity of Assam and its people. They are interested only in power and doing things they did before, Modi said. Thats why, they like illegal Bangladeshi migrants more. The Congress had settled them and are saving them. This is the reason why the Congress is opposing the ongoing exercise to correct voters list, the Prime Minister added. Even now the Congress wants to settle Bangladeshis on Assams lands and forests to consolidate its vote bank. You get destroyed (in the process) but they are not bothered. They have to strengthen their vote-bank, Modi told the crowd. Stating that Assam has to be protected from the poison of appeasement and vote-bank politics, the Prime Minister assured the people that the BJP was standing firmly with them to protect the states identity and honour. The BJP prioritises every work that enhances Assams prestige. But when it does that, the Congress gets troubled the most. When our government conferred Bharat Ratna on Bhupen da (legendary singer-songwriter Bhupen Hazarika), the Congress had openly opposed it, Modi said, continuing his attack on the opposition party. He further stated that the Congress had once again opposed development when the BJP-led government established a semiconductor unit in Assam. Despite being in power for many decades, the Congress had denied land right to Assams tea garden community. The BJP government has given them land right as well as a dignified life. I am a chaiwalla; if I dont do it, who will? the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister also accused the Congress of neglecting industrial infrastructure in the state, particularly fertiliser units, leading to repeated shutdowns and hardship for farmers and workers. Just think, why is work for the welfare of farmers only happening after the BJP government came to power? The technology in the old factories became outdated, and the Congress governments paid no attention to it. Many units of Namrup kept shutting down because of this, Modi said. He added that previous governments never attempted to resolve these long-standing issues. Congress never found a solution to this problem. They were nonchalant. Our double-engine government is solving those problems too that were created by the Congress, he said. Highlighting reforms in the fertiliser sector, Modi said urea production in the country had increased significantly over the last decade. They did such a terrible job that even after 11 years of hard work, I still have a lot of work left to do. In 2014, only 225 lakh metric tonne of urea was produced nationwide. After the hard work of the last 10-11 years, this production has risen to around 306 lakh metric tonne, he said. Calling the fertiliser project a major milestone, Modi described the day as historic for Assam and the Northeast. Today is a big day for Assam and the entire North-East. The dream that Namrup and Dibrugarh had been waiting for a long time is being fulfilled today. A new chapter of industrial progress is about to begin in this whole area. Before coming to Dibrugarh, a new terminal of the airport was inaugurated in Guwahati. Everyone is saying that Assam has caught on to a new pace of development. What you are experiencing right now is just the beginning, he said. The brownfield Ammonia-Urea Fertiliser Project at Namrup, within the premises of Brahmaputra Valley Fertiliser Corporation Limited (BVFCL), is expected to meet fertiliser requirements of Assam and neighbouring states, reduce import dependence, generate substantial employment and spur regional economic development. Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal said BVFCL, the oldest fertiliser unit in Northeast India, would undergo major expansion. To further increase its capacity, a fourth plant is set to be established at the Namrup site. Supported by the Government of India, the new plant is expected to be completed in the next five years, with a production capacity of 12.5 lakh metric tonnes per annum, Sonowal said. He added that the expansion would transform the facility into a major production hub for the Northeast and enable exports to neighbouring countries such as Bhutan and Myanmar, besides supplying West Bengal and Bihar. Meanwhile, the Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, with the project scheduled for commissioning in 2030. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister visited the Swahid Smarak Kshetra in Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati, and paid homage to the martyrs of the Assam Movement. (WIth inputs from PTI, ANI)
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