Addressing the gathering, Shah directly targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accusing the opposition of indulging in vote-bank politics. He declared, “We will not allow Assam to become an infiltrator-dominated region,” reinforcing the party’s stance on the issue. Claiming that infiltrators had already been identified, Shah stated that the next step would involve strict action. “Elect a BJP government. We have already identified the infiltrators. Now, the time has come to weed them out, one by one,” he said. He further asserted that infiltration would be completely halted if BJP-led governments come to power across Assam, West Bengal, and Tripura.
Highlighting the party’s cultural agenda, Shah announced that the BJP was committed to renaming Karimganj as “Shribhumi.” He simultaneously alleged that the Congress depended on infiltrators for political gains and, in a pointed remark aimed at Rahul Gandhi, questioned the Congress leader’s understanding of regional sentiments.
Shah also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi for granting classical language status to Assamese and Bengali, and defended the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), accusing the Congress of opposing it for political reasons. Addressing historical policy decisions, he alleged that previous Congress governments repealed the Immigrants (Expulsion from Assam) Act, 1950, and later introduced the Illegal Migrants (Determination by Tribunals) Act, 1983 to shield infiltrators.
Emphasizing governance and security concerns, the Home Minister stated that coordinated action by BJP-led governments in Assam and neighbouring states would ensure an end to infiltration, which he described as a threat to jobs, rations, and livelihoods of local people. He also criticised Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge over recent remarks, calling them undemocratic and inappropriate, and accused the Congress of lowering the standards of political discourse.
Assam is set to vote for its 126-member Assembly on April 9, with the counting of votes scheduled for May 4, making the issue of infiltration a central and decisive theme in the electoral contest.
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