Congress used infiltration model: Shivraj
Union Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, on Saturday alleged that the Congress followed an “infiltration model” to create a vote bank and remain in power.
Addressing an election rally here in support of former state BJP president Bhabesh Kalita, the Union minister accused the Congress of “handing over” Assam to infiltrators.
“When the Congress was in power, Assam’s ‘jal’ (water), ‘jungle’ (forest) and ‘zameen’ (land) were handed over to infiltrators, who occupied several lakh bighas of land. Anyone who wanted to come could just enter as if the state was a ‘dharamshala’ (guest house). This is our land… Why should people from other countries come and settle here?’’ he said.
He alleged that the Congress used infiltrators as a vote bank by providing them with Aadhaar cards and entering their names in the voter list.
“This was a sin. The Congress followed the model of infiltration, but the BJP’s model is to follow the ideals of Srimanta Sankardeva and work for the welfare of the people,” Chouhan said.
He alleged that when students in Assam launched an agitation against foreigners in 1979, the then Congress government opened fire on the agitators.
“Even during Independence, Congress was planning to hand over Assam to Pakistan and make it a part of present-day Bangladesh,” he alleged, adding, “I bow in reverence to the state’s first chief minister, Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi, who prevented this from happening.”
“The Congress again betrayed Assam during the 1962 India-China war when Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru said he could do nothing for the people of the state and washed his hands off,” the Union minister alleged.
Chouhan also accused the Congress of insulting great personalities of the state.
“They did not give Bharat Ratna to Gopinath Bordoloi or to eminent singer Bhupen Hazarika, and it was Prime Minister Narendra Modi who gave them the highest honour,” he added.
The BJP leader also claimed that the Congress lacks competent leaders, and they have never practised democracy.
“It is a party that promotes dynastic politics, with the chief minister’s son following in his father’s footsteps,” Chouhan said in an apparent reference to state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, who is the son of former CM Tarun Gogoi.
He thanked the PM and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for ensuring the state’s rapid development.
Chouhan also alleged that the Congress never put even one rupee into the bank accounts of women.
‘’The Assam chief minister started the ‘Orunodoi’ scheme to provide a monthly aid to women. I followed this model in Madhya Pradesh and started the ‘Laadli’ scheme,” he said.
Chouhan, the rural development minister, said that if the BJP returns to power in Assam, the number of ‘Lakhpati Baideos’ of self-help groups will increase to six crore from the current three crore in the state.
“We will not let women remain poor… We are not doing them any favour but ensuring social justice,” he said.
“It is our pledge that no poor will live in kutcha houses; they will get pucca ones under the PM Awas Yojana,” he said.
The Congress did not grant land ownership rights to the tea garden workers, but the PM and CM gave them land rights, he said.
“We will now give them houses under the PMAY,” Chouhan added.
The Union minister said that during the Congress rule, there was widespread unemployment and the lack of entrepreneurial opportunities, which led to many youths taking up arms.
“There was a time in Assam when people could not venture out at night, but now a new era has dawned with youths getting ample employment opportunities,” Chouhan claimed.
The Assam chief minister has ensured government jobs to over 1.65 lakh youths in the last five years and this process will continue, he added.
BJP-led Assam most corrupt: Shivakumar
Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister and senior Congress leader D K Shivakumar alleged here on Saturday that there is no other administration as corrupt as the one in Assam, claiming that the entire state ministry, as well as their family members, are involved in it.
He questioned the BJP on its earlier charges of corruption against incumbent Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma, claiming that anyone who joins the saffron party is “dipped clean”.
Addressing a press conference, Shivakumar, a senior party observer for state elections here, said, “The type of administration run in Assam, the corruption going on here, no other state in the country has at such level. The entire ministry is involved. Some BJP leaders and even family members are involved in it.”
Referring to BJP’s ‘booklet’ with corruption charges against Sarma in 2015, during his tenure as a Congress minister, Shivakumar asked, “How did his old corruption charges go away and he became clean, became the poster boy of BJP? Amit Shah has to reply to it. He (Sarma) was dipped in the Ganga or Brahmaputra or some river and cleansed? All who join the BJP are dipped and cleansed.”
Sarma, a minister in three successive Congress governments in Assam since 2001, had defected to the BJP in August 2015, a month after the BJP had made the allegations.
The Congress leader claimed that the people of Assam want a change and will vote decisively in next month’s elections.
He said that for the last 15 days, he had been meeting Assamese people living in Bengaluru to know their thoughts.
“If we told them that we want to post their thoughts on social media, they were afraid as it could lead to a threat to their lives,” Shivakumar said, alleging Sarma of running a “Hitler-like” regime.
“It is the people’s desire for a change here. Because they know that wherever Congress is in power, it means that people of every section is in power. Congress unites people, BJP divides them,” he said.
He added that even the media is being threatened for being critical of the government.
Asked if Sarma’s allegations of Pakistan links against state Congress chief Gaurav Gogoi will impact the party’s poll prospects, Shivakumar said it will have no bearing.
“Gaurav Gogoi is a parliamentarian, state party president, son of an ex-CM. Sarma is afraid of losing to Gogoi’s leadership and hence brought this false allegation. Not even a single person believed it,” he added.
Shivakumar questioned the BJP “poaching” Congress leaders ahead of the state elections and said, “If the BJP is so capable of winning, if they have done such good work in 10 years, what is the necessity to pick our leaders?”
Mentioning of senior Congress leader Pradyut Bordoloi joining the BJP, who was the chairman of the opposition party’s manifesto committee for the coming polls and had prepared a ‘charge sheet’ against the regime last month, Shivakumar said the saffron party must come clean on the charges levied against it.
“Our charges against the government are massive. And these were prepared by the person (Bordoloi) who joined the BJP and is now their party candidate. The BJP must reply to these charges,” he added.
Shivakumar maintained that Sarma achieved standing in political circles due to Congress, and “after joining the BJP, people in the saffron party now claim that the CM is a Congressman in the BJP”, the Karnataka DyCM claimed.
“BJP leaders now want to leave the party and are in touch with us,” he said, without naming anyone.
Mentioning his state where the Congress claimed of implementing its pre-poll guarantees immediately after assuming power, Shivakumar said, “We urge the people to repose faith in us as we will deliver what we promise.”
Elections for the 126-member Assam Assembly will be held on April 9, and votes counted on May 4.
The Congress has been out of power in Assam since 2016.
NDA will return to power in Assam by winning over 90 seats: Amit Shah
Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday asserted that the BJP-led NDA will return to power in Assam for the third consecutive term by winning more than 90 seats in the 126-member assembly.
Shah made the statement as he kick-started his two-day visit to the poll-bound state with a roadshow in Guwahati.
“The people of Assam are excited to form the BJP and NDA government in the state. We will form the government again with more than 90 seats,” he said.
Shah said that under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, world-class infrastructure has been built in the state.
“In Assam, extremism, bomb blasts, and firing have stopped. Health infrastructure is being developed here. The state has become the hub of health and education in the entire Northeast,” he said.
Shah said huge employment opportunities have been created, and modern industries like semiconductor manufacturing units are being set up.
The former BJP president held the roadshow in support of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is fighting the polls from the Jalukbari seat, Guwahati Central candidate Vijay Kumar Gupta, New Guwahati’s Diplu Ranjan Sarmah, Dispur’s Pradyut Bordoloi, and AGP’s Dimoria nominee Tapan Das.
Except for Sarma, all candidates accompanied Shah during the roadshow, which was also attended by state BJP president Dilip Saikia.
The roadshow began from the Arya Vidyapith College playground and concluded at the Nepali Mandir, covering around 2 km along the AK Azad Road.
Shah, who stood in an open-decked SUV, was accorded a rousing reception by an enthusiastic crowd and party supporters along the route.
The Union home minister arrived in the city in the evening. During his two-day trip, he is scheduled to address a series of election rallies, besides holding meetings with top BJP functionaries.
Polling is scheduled to be held on April 9, while the votes would be counted on May 4.