Amit Shah Targets Gogoi, Says Assam Can’t Be Led by Leaders ‘Visiting Pakistan’

Union Home Minister Amit Shah stated on Friday that Assam cannot be run by individuals who travel to Pakistan frequently, seemingly alluding to state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi's purported ties to the country.

According to PTI, Shah claimed that the vast development projects of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma will enable the BJP-led NDA to create the third consecutive government in Assam the next year.

Shah claimed that leaders who shield encroachers and infiltrators cannot represent the state, as he blew the "war bugle" at a rally of panchayat representatives here ahead of the Assam assembly elections, which are scheduled for March or April of next year. 

"Modi carried out immense development works across the country, and Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma took that flow to every household of the state. On the back of these works, the BJP-led NDA will form the government in Assam for the third consecutive term next year," he said.

Shah blasted the opposition Congress, saying that leaders who support infiltrators' incursions should not be permitted to govern Assam.

"Assam will continue to be led by Modi and Sarma," he stated.

"Assam cannot be led by people who visit Pakistan frequently," Shah remarked, referring to Gogoi.  The Deputy Leader of the Congress in the Lok Sabha has been under fire from the Assam chief minister and the BJP for his British wife's alleged ties to Pakistan's intelligence organisation.

PTI reported that Elizabeth Colburn, Gogoi's British wife, has made 19 trips between India and Pakistan, according to Sarma.

Shah said, "Infiltrators encroached thousands of acres of our land. The BJP government launched a drive to clear encroachments, but Gaurav Gogoi opposed it. The Assam government freed 1,29,548 acres from encroachment by infiltrators." The home minister asserted that the BJP has restored the sanctity of Srimanta Sankardeva and Mahapurush Madhavdeva's satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) by evicting infiltrators from their lands.

"Infiltrators encroached on the lands of Srimanta Sankardeva and Mahapurush Madhavdeva's satras during the Congress regime. Even if Gogoi opposes, the BJP will clear every inch of encroached land from infiltrators. You (Gogoi) can do whatever you like, we won't stop," he added.

Shah further asserted that special operations were initiated by the BJP government in Assam to apprehend the infiltrators who had previously married the state's minor daughters.

"Sarma government is also doing social reforms. He launched a big education scheme for girls. Currently, over nine lakh girls are studying with this scholarship," he added.

About Congress's performance in recent rural polls, Shah said, "If you want to find them in Assam panchayats, you will not find them even with binoculars. When Sarma announced the panchayat polls and results were declared, the Congress was wiped out from the scene." The panchayat poll was significant because it was the first election after the delimitation exercise, and Modi's development era in Assam and the Northeast has led to the presence of BJP representatives everywhere - from panchayat to parliament, he added.

"That is why the BJP wins every time. After the 1980sthis panchayat poll's result came with 74 per cent voting. From Assam, we have 11 MPs in the Lok Sabha out of 14 seats, five Rajya Sabha MPs. BJP has won all the 11 bypolls that took place after 2021. We have won the autonomous council polls in Karbi Anglong, North Cachar Hills and Rabha-Hasong," Shah said.

Praising the Modi-led central government, the former BJP national president asserted that the PM has developed the entire Northeast.

"Modi popularised Ahom general Lachit Barphukan. He established the 125-feet-tall statue of Lachit Barphukan and translated his biography into 23 languages. Now, every child knows about the person," Shah said.

Claiming that peace has returned to Assam during Modi's tenure, he informed the gathering that over 10,000 youths have laid down arms and a number of peace accords have been signed with many militant organisations across the region.

"This has led to peace not only in Assam, but the entire Northeast. In the Advantage Assam summit, over 5 lakh-crore worth of MoUs were signed. Out of that, MoUs worth Rs 1.4 lakh-crore have already started on the ground. The Rs 27,000-crore semiconductor factory by Tatas in Jagiroad is a game-changer for development in Assam," he added.

Shah added that despite the Sarma government's pledge of one lakh jobs, 1.21 lakh young people have already been hired in four years without any corruption or favouritism.

"I believe this figure will touch 1.5 lakh by the time the state goes to polls next year," he stated.

During the 2021 assembly election campaign, the BJP pledged to create one lakh government employment annually in Assam; however, they later changed their statement to include the full five-year term.

"Once Congress had said bye-bye to Assam, now Modi and Sarma are taking Assam to new heights by all-round development," Shah stated.