<p>The Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday said that Rahul Gandhi's promise about withdrawal of AFSPA from the Northeast before elections in 2019 was for appeasement but BJP was moving in the right direction for establishing peace in the region.</p>.<p>"Rahul baba promised that Congress would withdraw the AFSPA from the Northeast. The promise was just for appeasement. But our position was very clear. When the journalists asked me about withdrawal of the AFSPA, I said peace needs to be established for withdrawal of the AFSPA. Today we have marched a long way ahead to establish peace," Shah said after inaugurating a new office building of BJP in Guwahati on Saturday morning. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/amit-shah-j-p-nadda-inaugurate-new-bjp-office-in-guwahati-to-address-rally-later-1151745.html" target="_blank">Amit Shah, J P Nadda inaugurate new BJP office in Guwahati, to address rally later</a></strong></p>.<p>"From the Bodo Accord, Karbi Accord and the agreement with five Adivasi groups in Assam to Bru Accord in Tripura, we have signed agreements with several insurgent groups. Nearly 9,000 militants have laid down their weapons since 2014. We have established peace and today AFSPA has been withdrawn from 60 per cent areas in Assam. The AFSPA has been fully withdrawn from Tripura and Meghalaya. In Nagaland, only seven districts are under the AFSPA and seven in Manipur," Shah said. </p>.<p>Claiming that the BJP-led government established peace in Assam and took the state towards the path of development, the Home Minister said Congress had reduced the Northeast into a region of insurgency and agitation. "Assam is a land of Kamakhya, Srimanta Sankardev and Madhabdev. But during Congress days insurgency and agitation was the order of the day in the region. We are taking steps for infrastructure development and for protection and preservation of the region's culture," Shah said.</p>.<p>Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Assam later also addressed a conference of police heads of the Northeast and discussed issues concerning law and order and cross border smuggling, beside others. Addressing a rally of party workers in the afternoon, Shah said 80 per cent of the areas in the Northeast are now free from the AFSPA. </p>.<p>Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said BJP workers are working hard to achieve the target to win at least 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. BJP had won nine seats in Assam in 2019. </p>.<p><strong>Flood free Assam</strong></p>.<p>On Friday evening, Shah held a meeting in Guwahati and reviewed the steps being taken to fulfil BJP's promise before the elections about making Assa flood free. "The action plan North Eastern Council and Assam government has worked out will make floods in Assam a thing of the past in five years. We have fulfilled the promise to end insurgency and agitation. We are committed to free Assam from floods in the next five years," Shah said.</p>
<p>The Union Home Minister and senior BJP leader Amit Shah on Saturday said that Rahul Gandhi's promise about withdrawal of AFSPA from the Northeast before elections in 2019 was for appeasement but BJP was moving in the right direction for establishing peace in the region.</p>.<p>"Rahul baba promised that Congress would withdraw the AFSPA from the Northeast. The promise was just for appeasement. But our position was very clear. When the journalists asked me about withdrawal of the AFSPA, I said peace needs to be established for withdrawal of the AFSPA. Today we have marched a long way ahead to establish peace," Shah said after inaugurating a new office building of BJP in Guwahati on Saturday morning. </p>.<p><strong>Also Read | <a href="https://www.deccanherald.com/national/national-politics/amit-shah-j-p-nadda-inaugurate-new-bjp-office-in-guwahati-to-address-rally-later-1151745.html" target="_blank">Amit Shah, J P Nadda inaugurate new BJP office in Guwahati, to address rally later</a></strong></p>.<p>"From the Bodo Accord, Karbi Accord and the agreement with five Adivasi groups in Assam to Bru Accord in Tripura, we have signed agreements with several insurgent groups. Nearly 9,000 militants have laid down their weapons since 2014. We have established peace and today AFSPA has been withdrawn from 60 per cent areas in Assam. The AFSPA has been fully withdrawn from Tripura and Meghalaya. In Nagaland, only seven districts are under the AFSPA and seven in Manipur," Shah said. </p>.<p>Claiming that the BJP-led government established peace in Assam and took the state towards the path of development, the Home Minister said Congress had reduced the Northeast into a region of insurgency and agitation. "Assam is a land of Kamakhya, Srimanta Sankardev and Madhabdev. But during Congress days insurgency and agitation was the order of the day in the region. We are taking steps for infrastructure development and for protection and preservation of the region's culture," Shah said.</p>.<p>Shah, who is on a three-day visit to Assam later also addressed a conference of police heads of the Northeast and discussed issues concerning law and order and cross border smuggling, beside others. Addressing a rally of party workers in the afternoon, Shah said 80 per cent of the areas in the Northeast are now free from the AFSPA. </p>.<p>Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma said BJP workers are working hard to achieve the target to win at least 12 out of 14 Lok Sabha seats in Assam. BJP had won nine seats in Assam in 2019. </p>.<p><strong>Flood free Assam</strong></p>.<p>On Friday evening, Shah held a meeting in Guwahati and reviewed the steps being taken to fulfil BJP's promise before the elections about making Assa flood free. "The action plan North Eastern Council and Assam government has worked out will make floods in Assam a thing of the past in five years. We have fulfilled the promise to end insurgency and agitation. We are committed to free Assam from floods in the next five years," Shah said.</p>
