Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Tuesday issued the BJP’s manifesto for the Assam Assembly elections, promising to protect the land, heritage, dignity of indigenous people and $5 lakh crore for investment in infrastructure.
The BJP’s ‘Sankalp Patra’ includes 31 promises, including restoration of usurped lands from Bangladesh’s Mias, introduction of uniform civil code, ensuring development of the state, and employment opportunities for youth.
Sitharaman said this statement was prepared on “a decade of transformation in the country, which the Congress has not been able to achieve in 60 years.”
“Congress has not focused on long-term development in the Northeast because that is what its policies are about,” Sitharaman claimed.
She claimed that tremendous development has taken place under BJP rule in the state, adding, “Many young Assamese are leaving their global careers and returning to Assam, not because of compulsion but because of opportunities.”
She added that the BJP has “restored peace in Assam” and that development will be possible only when there is stability.
“Assam lived with the AFSPA for 32 years due to Congress policies, but the BJP ensured the law was removed from most states,” she added.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Union Ministers Sarbananda Sonowal and Pabitra Margherita, state BJP president Dilip Saikia, national vice president Bijayant Panda, state government ministers and other senior party leaders were among those present on the occasion.
Elections for 126 electoral districts in the state are scheduled to be held on April 9, with vote counting beginning on May 4.
