BJP govt correcting mistakes Congress kept making in northeast for decades: PM Modi

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday attacked the Congress for “neglecting” Assam and the northeast during its rule, and asserted that the BJP government was correcting “mistakes” the grand old party kept making in the region for decades.

Addressing a rally after inaugurating a new terminal of the Guwahati airport, Modi alleged that the development of Assam and the northeast was never a part of the Congress agenda.

“The Congress gave protection to infiltrators who grabbed forests and land, threatening the security and identity of Assam... The BJP governemnt has been correcting mistakes the Congress kept making for decades in the northeast,” the PM asserted.

Modi said the Election Commission started the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls to ensure infiltrators are kept out of the poll process, “but ‘deshdrohis’ (traitors) were trying to protect them”.

“The Centre is taking strict steps to stop infiltration,” he said.

The Prime Minister said development under the BJP’s double-engine government “flows unabated” in Assam, just as the flow of the mighty Brahmaputra river.

“My attachment to the land of Assam inspires me, gives me strength for development of region. Assam and the entire Northeast is becoming the gateway to India’s development. Every state, each region of the country has an important role to play in the mission of a developed India,” Modi said.