The New Indian Express News

SIR meant to keep infiltrators out, Congress protected them for decades: Modi in Assam

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a strong attack on the Indian National Congress, accusing the party of neglecting Assam and the Northeast during its years in power and alleging that it protected infiltrators at the cost of the regions security and identity. Addressing a public rally in Guwahati after inaugurating a new terminal at the citys airport, the Prime Minister said the Election Commission of India had initiated the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure that infiltrators were kept out of the democratic process. He alleged that certain deshdrohis were attempting to shield such elements, even as the Centre was taking strict steps to curb infiltration. Modi said the development of Assam and the Northeast was never part of the Congress agenda. He alleged that during the partys rule, infiltrators were allowed to grab forests and land in the state, posing a threat to Assams security and identity. He asserted that the BJP government was now correcting the mistakes that, according to him, the Congress had committed for decades in the region. The Prime Minister further linked the Congress era with prolonged violence in the Northeast, stating that keeping the region away from development had come at a heavy cost to the countrys unity, security and integrity. He said that while violence flourished for decades under previous governments, the situation had begun to change over the past 1011 years. Districts that were once considered violence-affected, he said, were now progressing as aspirational districts. Highlighting the BJPs governance model, Modi said development under the partys double-engine government was flowing uninterrupted in Assam, drawing a comparison with the mighty Brahmaputra. Earlier in the day, the Prime Minister inaugurated the new Terminal 2 building of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati and toured the facility. He was accompanied by Himanta Biswa Sarma. The newly inaugurated terminal has been designed to handle around 13.1 million passengers annually and has been built at a cost of approximately Rs 4,000 crore. PM Modi attacks 'Maha Jungle Raj' in Bengal, pitches for BJP ahead of 2026 polls