Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday strong attacked the Congress at an election rally here and said its "corrupt and vote-bank based governance" had made Assam one of the most disconnected states in India."
The Prime Minister said that Congress governments and their policies "damaged Assam "socially, culturally, geographically and politically".
He also referred to the development works done in Assam over the past five years under the BJP-led government and said attention has been paid to boosting infrastructure.
"Decades ago, this entire region was one that had better connectivity. However, Congress' corrupt and vote-bank-based governance had made Assam one of the most disconnected states in India. Congress has kept Assam divided in every way, BJP tried to connect Assam in every way.
'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas' is the BJP's development mantra," Modi said. "In 2016, when I came here, I was shocked to know that Congress governments ran Divisional Commissioner for Barak Valley from Guwahati. National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government has overcome this injustice," he added.
PM Modi said rail connectivity was very poor in Barak Valley and people have continuously demanded it.
"The quality of roads, too, was poor. People had to travel long distances to reach different parts of Assam. The gas connectivity, too, wasn't up to the mark. The BJP government is swiftly pulling Assam out of this situation. New roads, flyovers, and bridges are being built. The Bhupen Hazarika Setu has also been completed by our government," he said.
The Prime Minister said the work done by the NDA government in Assam is also being praised by visitors to the state.
"The widening of railway tracks was done on mission mode and big trains are also reaching here. The number of trains reaching this region has doubled in the last few years," he said.
"Today there is a wave of development and trust in Assam. There is only one issue in Assam today which is development. We are trying to develop a multimodal logistic park in Silchar to transform this region into an import-export hub. This will provide a lot of employment opportunities to the youth and economic opportunities to the farmers," he added.
PM Modi said the "double-engine government" in the state and at the Centre is also focused on providing health care to people. "Under Ayushman Yojana, over 1.5 lakh people from Assam have received free treatment. Under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi, 27 lakh farmers have received thousands of crores in the state," he added.
Assembly elections in Assam for 126 seats will be held in three phases starting on March 27. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.
