Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said the BJP opposes illegal infiltration from Bangladesh but is not opposed to indigenous Muslim communities in Assam.
Addressing a rally in Kaliapur, Assam, Shah said the BJP’s stance targets “illegal immigrants” while respecting indigenous Muslim groups in the state, and accused the Congress of politicizing and sectarianizing the issue ahead of the elections.
“Congress encouraged illegal infiltrators into the state and now the party is presenting a Hindu-Muslim angle (before the elections),” Shah said.
Shah was seeking support for his ruling ally Asom Gana Parishad Keshab Mahanta, who is also a senior minister in the current government.
The current BJP-led government in the state has carried out massive eviction drives against illegal settlers on government land since 2021, calling it a campaign against Bengali-speaking Muslims with origins in East Pakistan (now Bangladesh).
Community members who entered Assam after March 24, 1971 (when Bangladesh was founded) are considered illegal aliens as per the provisions of the Citizenship Act.
This community is certainly separate from indigenous Muslim groups such as the Guria, Moria, Julha and Sayyid, who speak the Assamese language and follow cultural practices different from the migrants.
“What did the Congress give to Assam during its rule? Between 2004 and 2014, when there were Congress governments at the Center and in the state, Assam got $1.28 million crores. In comparison, between 2014 and 2024, under BJP rule at the Centre, the state got $9.78 crore,” Shah said.
He highlighted the major development projects undertaken in the state in the last 10-12 years and initiatives like Bharat Ratna of Gopinath Bordoloi and Bhupen Hazarika, honoring of General Ahom Lachit Barphukan, and the status of classical language of the Assamese language.
“Assam was earlier known for bombings and protests, but the BJP government at the Center signed more than 20 peace agreements (with rebel groups) which led to more than 10,000 youth laying down arms, and now the state is witnessing peace and development,” Shah said.
“Congress should stop dreaming of forming a government in Assam. The BJP and AGP have ruled for 10 years now and will continue to do so for at least another 15 years,” he added.
Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari also addressed election rallies of the BJP and its allies in Assam on Thursday, highlighting various connectivity projects undertaken since 2014.
“We are constructing a two-lane tunnel under the Brahmaputra river connecting Numaligarh and Johpur. Once completed, the tunnel will reduce the distance between the two places from six hours to just 30 minutes,” he said in Balashbari on the outskirts of Guwahati.
“The work we have done over the past 12 years, and the ones being undertaken now, will completely transform the roads in Assam and will be comparable to those in the US,” he added.
