Elect a govt that will drive out infiltrators: HM Shah in Assam

Guwahati: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday exhorted the people of Assam to elect a government in next year’s Assembly polls, which will work against infiltration and in favour of the development of the state.

He accused the Congress of encouraging infiltration for the sake of ‘vote bank’ politics, which led to a threat to the identity of the Assamese people from the illegal migrants.

“It had been like a long bad dream for Assam till 10 years ago. Bandhs, blockades, firings, and bomb blasts were rampant. There were numerous insurgent groups, agitations were happening,” Shah said after inaugurating a 5,000-seat auditorium here, the largest in the North East region.

He claimed that Assam has made progress over the last 10 years of the BJP regime in the state, and 11 years of the Narendra Modi government at the Centre.

“Much progress has been achieved in the last 10 years in Assam under the BJP governments, but we cannot be happy with just that. Bless the BJP with another five years, and every infiltrator will be identified and sent back. This will protect Assam’s identity, language, culture and food,” he asserted.

“In elections in March-April next year, elect a government that doesn’t allow infiltration and works for the progress of Assam,” Shah said to the people of the state.

The BJP leader took a swipe at the Congress, blaming it for the state’s infiltration problem.

“For the sake of vote bank, the Congress encouraged infiltration which has threatened the identity of Assam today,” he alleged.

“Those who talk about Assam’s culture and identity had themselves brought a law in 1983,” Shah said, in an apparent reference to the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunal) (IMDT) Act.

The Act was later repealed by the Supreme Court in 2005.