Give five more years to BJP, will make Assam flood-free: Amit Shah

Asserting that Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led government has made Assam free from bullets and agitations, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Sunday urged people to give five more years to make the state free from flood too.

While addressing 'Vijay Sankalp Samaroh' rally in poll-bound Assam's Nalbari, Shah also attacked the Congress party and its ally All India United Democratic Front-AIUDF led by Badruddin Ajmal.

"A flood of development came here. Hospitals, new roads, colleges are being constructed. Industries are being set-up here. In the coming days, only BJP can solve the biggest problem of Assam -- floods. We have made Assam free from bullets and agitations. Give five years more to BJP and we will make Assam free from flood too," he said.

Attacking the Congress party, Shah said Congress cannot stop infiltrators in Assam as they are its vote bank. Shah said the Congress rule in the state gave only bloodshed, in which thousands of youths lost their lives.

"Can Congress and Badruddin Ajmal stop infiltrators in Assam? They will allow infiltrators since it is their vote bank. Only the Narendra Modi-led BJP government can free Assam from infiltrators," he said.

The Congress has formed Grand Alliance with AIUDF, CPI, CPI(M), CPI(ML) and Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM) to fight the upcoming Assembly election, likely to be held in March-April.

"Many times, the Congress has accused the BJP of being communal, while the Congress is with the Muslim League in Kerala and is in alliance with Badruddin Ajmal in Assam. In which direction will the Congress take Assam? I want to ask the people who were in power for years, what you did for Assam's culture? What did you do for the development of Assam?" he added.

Attacking the Congress, Shah said, "Congress continued the British policy of divide and rule. They created a divide between Adivasis and non-Adivasis, Assamese people and hill peoples, Bodos and non-Bodos."

"In 20 years there was only bloodshed and 10,000 Assamese youths were killed by bullets fired by the Congress," he said.

Listing out some of the developments in Assam by the BJP government, Shah said that in the 13th Finance Commission, the state was given only Rs 79,000 crore.

"In the 14th Finance Commission, the BJP government gave Rs 1.55 lakh crore to the state. We opened bank accounts of about 7.20 lakh people in the tea garden area. BJP has done the work of giving Rs 5,000 to about 60.20 lakh people in 26 districts of Assam," he added.

Shah is in Assam as part of a two-day visit to the region. Earlier in the day, he addressed a public rally to mark the first anniversary of signing the Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR) Accord at Kokrajhar in Assam.

The term of the 126-member Assam Assembly is ending on 31 May 2021.

(With agency inputs)