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Cong backs infiltrators for votes: PM in Assam
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge rejected Modi’s allegations, accusing him of blaming the opposition for the failures of BJP governments at the Centre and in Assam
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of engaging in “anti-national” activities and helping illegal Bangladeshi immigrants settle in Assam due to appeasement politics.
Addressing a rally after unveiling a ₹10,601-crore fertiliser plant at Namrup in Dibrugarh, Modi said the Congress was only interested in grabbing power, accusing the party of neglecting agricultural infrastructure and ignoring farmers’ demands.
“They [Congress] are hungry for power. That’s why they like illegal infiltrators from Bangladesh… We have to protect Assam from this poison of appeasement,” he said. Before arriving in Dibrugarh, Modi visited the Swahid Smarak Kshetra, a memorial to the 860 people who lost their lives during the 1979-85 Assam agitation against illegal infiltrators, in Guwahati.
Modi added that the Opposition is not concerned with safeguarding the identity and pride of the Assamese people, which is why it opposes the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls. “The Congress is indulging in anti-national activities. They want illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam… that is why Congress is opposing the revision of voter lists,” he said.
Assam is slated to go to polls next year, and the issue of alleged illegal infiltration is expected to be a major poll plank. SIR of voter rolls has become a major political flashpoint across the states. While the Election Commission and the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) have defended SIR as necessary to ensure the sanctity of elections, the Opposition has criticised it as an attempt to disenfranchise marginalised communities. To be sure, in Assam, a Special Revision — positioned between SIR and a Special Summary Revision (SSR) — of voter rolls is planned due to issues related to the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and the category of D-Voters.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge rejected Modi’s allegations, accusing him of blaming the opposition for the failures of BJP governments at the Centre and in Assam.
“His government is there in the Centre and in Assam. If they fail to provide security, how can they blame the opposition parties? We will do whatever is good for the country’s interest, but we will not support terrorists, infiltrators, or anyone else. He is simply shifting the blame because he has failed to stop them,” Kharge said.
Leader of opposition in state assembly, Debabrata Saikia, accused the PM of misleading people. “Facts don’t support what the PM is alleging... The PM is telling lies and trying to mislead people. In the garb of launching development projects, he has come to do electioneering for BJP,” the Congress leader said.
On the second and final day of his Assam visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also alleged that the Congress has inflicted “so many wrongs” on the country’s farmers, and despite the BJP government implementing farmer-friendly policies over the last 11 years, much work still remains to bring everything on track.
“Farmers have a big role in establishing Viksit Bharat (Developed India) and therefore our government is working day and night keeping their benefits in mind. In addition to agricultural incentives, it is necessary to ensure enough urea fertiliser for our farmers. This new plant will help achieve that,” the PM said.
Modi accused previous Congress governments at the Centre of failing to upgrade the existing fertiliser plant at Namrup with improved technology, which led to the closure of some units in the complex and affected urea production and agricultural output.
“Congress didn’t try to find a solution to this issue. Now our double-engine governments [at the Centre and in Assam] are solving these problems created by Congress. Earlier, farmers had to queue up for fertilisers, as many other plants across the country also shut down, and police used to baton-charge them (farmers),” he said.
The Namrup plant will be part of the newly formed joint venture, Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Limited (AVFCCL), with an annual urea production capacity of 1.27 million metric tonnes,according to an official statement. The project, with an estimated cost of ₹10,601 crore, is expected to be commissioned within the next 48 months. It will increase domestic urea production, particularly in the northeastern region, and once operational, will meet the growing demand for urea in Assam, Bihar, West Bengal, eastern Uttar Pradesh, and Jharkhand. The plant will be energy efficient and is expected to create direct and indirect employment opportunities for the local population, it added.
“The Namrup fertiliser plant in Assam will become the epitome of the country’s industrial growth. It is sad that the Congress did not make efforts to modernise the plant and find solutions to problems faced by farmers,” he said.
Modi said that the Centre heavily subsidises imported urea so that the cost burden does not fall on farmers. He urged farmers to reduce urea usage in their fields to protect soil quality and highlighted schemes such as Kisan Credit Cards, launched since 2014, to benefit farmers.
Earlier in the day, Modi, interacted with 25 students from across Assam in a special edition of Pariksha Pe Charcha.
