CRPF jawans' sacrifice won't be in vain: Amit Shah

BJP chief Amit Shah on Sunday said the gruesome killings of 45 CRPF jawans would not go in vain unlike in the Congress' tenure while asserting that Narendra Modi government has never compromised on the issue of terrorism.

“It was a cowardly act by Pakistan and Pakistan-based terror groups. The killings of 45 jawans will not go in vain because this time Congress is not in power at the Centre. This time Narendra Modi-led government is in power and Modi government has never compromised regarding the security of the nation. If they think they have won the war by killing our 45 jawans, they are wrong. BJP will do everything to root out terrorism - be it in the Northeast or Jammu and Kashmir,” Shah said while addressing a rally in Lakhimpur in North Assam.

Stating that Modi had proved his political will to end terrorism, the BJP president said, “If there is one leader in the world today having a strong political will to end terrorism, it is Narendra Modi. All forms of fights against terrorism, be it diplomatic or answer of bullets with bullets or the surgical strike inside Pakistan—BJP has done everything.”

Like rest of the country, Assam mourned the killings of the CRPF jawans including Maneswar Basumatari, hailing from the state, who died in Pulwama attack. Many shouted anti-Pakistan slogans and demanded action against the terrorists.

Shah said the BJP government was updating the National Register of Citizens (NRC) to detect foreigners in order to prevent Assam from being the next Kashmir. “We will detect the foreigners one-by-one in Assam through updating the NRC. Clause VI of the Assam Accord will protect the identity of the Assamese people, culture and language. A high-level committee has been formed to implement clause VI, which seeks to offer constitutional safeguards and reservations for the Assamese people. As soon as you elect Modiji again as the Prime Minister, we will implement clause VI,” he said.

Shah said the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill would be introduced again as soon as Modi is elected again. The bill was passed in the Lok Sabha on January 8 but BJP did not introduce it in the Rajya Sabha, owing to strong protests in the Northeast by both political and non-political organisations.

Assam minister Himanta Biswa Sarma stressed that electing BJP was important to prevent Assam from being “another Kashmir.” “Already we have lost 14 Assembly Constituencies to Bangladeshi Muslims. Land of our satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) and temples are being encroached upon,” he said.