Oppn kept Assam cut off from mainstream, embraced infiltrators for votes: Modi in Guwahati

Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on a two-day visit to Assam beginning Saturday, attacked the Opposition, accusing it of keeping Assam and Bodoland “cut off from the national mainstream for decades” and of aiding infiltrators for political gains.Soon after arriving from West Bengal, Modi led a four-km roadshow from the airport before addressing a large gathering at the “Bagurumba Dwhou 2026” cultural event at Sarusajai stadium, where 10,000 Bodo women performed the Bagurumba dance. He said the Opposition “created instability, sowed division when trust was needed, and opened doors for infiltrators instead of healing Assam.” Calling infiltrators the Opposition’s “loyal vote bank,” Modi said, “The opposition party does not consider the people of Assam its own, preferring foreign infiltrators who become its loyal vote bank,” adding that “under the opposition’s rule, infiltrators kept coming, occupied lakhs of bighas of land, and were aided by governments.”He said, “They created instability in Assam for its political gains and pushed the state into the fire of violence,” and alleged that after Independence, “Assam faced challenges, but instead of finding solutions, the then ruling dispensation exploited those problems for political benefit.”Criticising the opposition party, Modi said, “When trust was needed, they sowed division. When dialogue was needed, they neglected it and closed the doors of communication,” adding that the voice of Bodoland was never properly heard.Modi said “today, under Himanta Biswa Sarma’s leadership, the govt is freeing land from infiltrators and restoring it to the rightful people of Assam.” He added that he was happy that the state govt was “freeing lakhs of bighas of land from infiltrators and restoring it to the rightful people of Assam.”He also said the Opposition had long neglected Assam and the northeast and “deliberately pushed the region into difficulties.”Modi said no PM had visited Assam as frequently as he has, and reiterated his wish that the state’s art and culture receive wider recognition in India and globally. He said the people of Assam and his “Bodo brothers and sisters” had placed their trust in him, and that the union and state govts had been entrusted with ensuring peace and development.He highlighted the 2020 Bodo Peace Accord, saying it ended decades of conflict, restored trust, and enabled thousands of youth to leave violence and join the mainstream. He said the accord opened opportunities in education and development across the Bodo region, and that people’s efforts were decisive in making peace part of everyday life.Modi contrasted this with steps he said his govt took to give Assam’s culture a national platform, including conferring classical status on Assamese, recognizing Bodo as an associate official language, declaring Bathou Puja a state holiday, and installing statues of Lachit Borphukan and Bodofa Upendra Nath Brahma. He said India’s history is incomplete without Assam’s heritage, and that festivals like Bagurumba Dwhou showcase national pride.“Assam’s confidence, capability, and progress are adding new strength to India’s growth story,” Modi said, adding that Assam is among the fastest-growing states, with Bodoland playing a key role.On Sunday, Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Rs 6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor at Kaliabor, virtually flag off two Amrit Bharat Express trains, and address a public meeting.