GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said that the BJP's "double-engine government" will make the State "Aatmanirbhar". Modi further announced, "Dusri bar BJP Sarkar, dusri bar NDA Sarkar and dusri bar double-engine Sarkar". He also added that there was "double neglect, double corruption" when the Congress-led government was at the Centre and in Assam.
Addressing an election rally at Bokakhat in Golaghat district — from where Minister and Asom Gana Parishad (BJP ally) president Atul Bora is contesting — Modi said that the Congress identifies itself as a secular party; but, to grab the chair (government), the party forged electoral alliance with communal forces in Assam, West Bengal and Kerala.
Saying that the "five guarantees of the Congress" are "fake and false promises", he said that after ruling Assam over 50 years, the party has to make "jutha (fake) assurances" and also make alliance with a communal party.
"Congress means confusion, uncertainty, violence and separatism, blockade and agitations and Congress means corruption and fake guarantees," said the Prime Minister, adding that "the party has no vision; it's friendship with only chairs."
Mentionably on Saturday, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi accompanied by senior Central and State leaders released the election manifesto in Guwahati promising "five guarantees" if voted to power. The "five guarantees" include restarting the process of National Register of Citizens (NRC), repeal the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Rs 365 daily wage to tea garden workers, five lakh jobs in five years, Rs 2,000 per month allowance to housewives and 200 units free electricity per household.
Saying that an amount of over Rs 40,000 crore is being invested for Assam's gas and oil projects, the Prime Minister said that projects are now underway for the compressed natural gas (CNG) for the vehicles and piped natural gas (PNG) for cooking in thousands of households.
"From the bamboo, ethanol (an organic chemical compound) would be produced in Assam. Since the British rule, bamboo was in the 'tree' category. After 70 years, the law has been amended to boost the bamboo-based industries, plantations, value addition of bamboo and to empower the thousands of artisans who made thousands of items from the bamboo," said the Prime Minister.
Before amending the law in 2017, the 'Indian Forest Act-1927' placed bamboo in the definition of "tree", besides palms, stumps, brush-wood and canes; and hence, felling and transportation of bamboo required permit.
Promising the all-round benefit to the lakhs of tea-garden workers in Assam after the polls, Modi said that the BJP government in the State after coming to power in 2016, twice increased the daily wages of tea-garden workers while a package of Rs 1,000 crore was announced in this year's Central Budget for the tea-garden workers.
Highlighting the sacrifice and contributions of Lachit Borphukan and other important personalities in Assam, the Prime Minister said steps were taken to remember Borphukan. In 1671, Lachit Borphukan had led the Ahoms in the Battle of Saraighat, considered the greatest naval battle on a river, to victory over the Mughals. He died in April 1672, almost two centuries before the Indian freedom movement had begun.
Modi also accused the Congress of patronising rhino poachers, adding that the BJP government has curbed the rhino poaching and the poachers are put in jails, while the world famous Kaziranga National Park has been freed of encroachers. (IANS)
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