In Assam, Modi questions Congress on national security: ‘Kept the country in danger’

After inaugurating multiple projects in Guwahati, including the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu, which connects Guwahati and North Guwahati across the Brahmaputra River and was built at a cost of around Rs 3,030 crore, Modi addressed a mega-meet of BJP workers.

Referring to the ELF, he said, “There was a time when people heard Assam, and they thought of broken roads, no place to stay… And today, such highways are being readied where not just cars, but even planes land. Is this not a matter of pride? There is so much progress happening in Assam because, with all your hard work, a BJP government has been formed.”

Shifting attention to national security, he referred to the 2019 Pulwama terror attack on Saturday, which was also the seventh anniversary of the attack.

“Today, the country has not just got another emergency landing strip. It is also proof that new India is preparing for its security in all ways. Not just at its borders, but it also enters the country’s enemies’ homes to respond to them… After this terrorist attack (Pulwama), the whole world has seen the way in which India punished the terrorists, and some people are still trembling. You have seen India’s strength in Operation Sindoor, too, but I want to know from you: Did the Congress ever have the courage to take such strong decisions for the country’s interest? At the most, they could have given statements. They couldn’t do anything,” he said.

“The Congress that even denies calling India a nation, that questions what is ‘Maa Bharti’, that cannot show the slightest respect to ‘Maa Bharti’, that Congress can never be good for the country. That’s why the Congress never gave priority to the country’s security. Because of this ineffectiveness, the whole Northeast lived in fear and insecurity. Congress had always kept the country in danger. During the Congress time, whenever weapons were bought for the Army, it would mean a scam of thousands of crores. Today, the country is strengthening its Army. At its borders, grand highways, tunnels, tall bridges, modern airfields, all these are being made… Because of this, those poor things (referring to Congress leaders) don’t get sleep. And when they don’t get sleep, they keep saying anything during the day.”

This offensive against the Congress comes after a heated Parliament session in which the Congress, led by Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi, mounted an attack on the government, accusing the PM of compromising on India’s sovereignty. The party had attempted to raise the issue of national security in the context of excerpts from former Army Chief General M M Naravane’s unpublished memoir.

“Today’s Congress raises on its shoulders every idea, every terrorist that is ill for the country. Those people who dream of breaking the country into pieces. Those people who raise slogans to separate the Northeast from India… At the time of Independence, the Muslim League had caused India’s Partition. Today’s Congress has become ‘Muslim League’ and ‘Maowadi’ and is trying to break up the country again… Because of this, you have to be careful of the Congress. And you have to make Assam’s people aware as well,” he said.

Modi also spoke about development projects undertaken in Assam under the BJP government, particularly five major bridges over the Brahmaputra, and about Tata Electronics establishing a semiconductor assembly unit in the state. “From chai to chips, Assam’s developmental journey can be seen,” he said.

He also spoke about peace deals signed with various insurgent groups over the last few years.

Then, turning to attack the Congress again, he said, “Being away from power for 10 years, the Congress has grown even more poisonous. From their top leader to the bottom, only poison flows out of their tongues. Congress once again wants to drag Assam into disorder. Congress wants to hand Assam over to infiltrators. Look at the leaders in Delhi, look at the leaders here; they are all engaged in trying to save infiltrators. Congress wants to erase Assam’s identity. The next five years are very important… During this time, many such projects are going to be completed, which will give Assam’s growth new wings. And that’s why the BJP’s double-engine government is very important,” he said.