Assam: PM Modi attacks Opposition for opposing SIR exercise

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday said the Union government has taken strict measures to stop infiltration, with identification processes underway to remove illegal infiltrators.

The Prime Minister emphasized that the Opposition and their alliance have openly adopted anti-national agendas, even as the Supreme Court has spoken about removing infiltrators.

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Modi, who inaugurated the New Terminal Building of Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport in Guwahati, noted that these parties are issuing statements in defence of infiltrators, and their lawyers are pleading in court to settle them.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, PM Modi said when the Election Commission is conducting the SIR process to ensure fair elections, these groups are opposing it.

The Prime Minister underlined that such people will not protect the interests of Assamese brothers and sisters, and will allow others to occupy their land and forests.

He warned that their anti-national mindset could recreate the violence and unrest of earlier times.

PM Modi stressed that it is therefore essential to remain vigilant, for the people of Assam to stay united, and to continue defeating the Opposition’s conspiracies to prevent Assam’s development from being derailed.

He said Assam is playing the role of a bridge connecting India with ASEAN countries. The Prime Minister affirmed that this beginning will go much further, and Assam will become an engine of developed India in many sectors.

PM Modi highlighted that through the Act East Policy, the Northeast has been given priority, and today, Assam is emerging as India’s Eastern Gateway.

Criticising the previous governments for keeping Assam and the Northeast away from development, PM Modi said the nation had to pay a heavy price in terms of security, unity, and integrity.

He highlighted that under Opposition rule, violence thrived for decades, whereas in the last 10–11 years, efforts are being made to end it.

The Prime Minister said where once violence and bloodshed prevailed in the Northeast, today digital connectivity through 4G and 5G technology is reaching these areas.

He emphasised that districts once considered violence-affected are now developing as aspirational districts, and in the coming times, these very regions will become industrial corridors.

PM Modi underlined that a new confidence has arisen regarding the Northeast, and stressed the need to strengthen it further.

The Prime Minister remarked that success in the development of Assam and the Northeast is also being achieved because the government is safeguarding the identity and culture of the region.

He highlighted the Opposition by conspiring to erase this identity, and this conspiracy was not limited to just a few years.

“The roots of this wrongdoing go back to the pre-independence era, when the Muslim League and the British government were preparing the ground for India’s partition, and at that time there was also a plan to make Assam a part of undivided Bengal, that is, East Pakistan,” the Prime Minister said.

“Congress was going to be part of this conspiracy, but Bardoloi stood against his own party, opposed this plot to destroy Assam’s identity, and saved Assam from being separated from the country,” PM Modi said.

The Prime Minister emphasised that their party rises above party lines to honor every patriot, and under the leadership of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, when their government came to power, Bardoloi was conferred the Bharat Ratna.

PM Modi said the government under Himanta Biswa Sarma is working diligently to free Assam’s resources from illegal and anti-national encroachments.

He highlighted that efforts are being made at every level to ensure Assam’s resources benefit the people of Assam.

“Assam and the entire Northeast are becoming the new gateway of India’s development,” emphasised PM Modi, highlighting that the vision of multi-modal connectivity has transformed both the condition and direction of this region.