Will throw out infiltrators one by one if voted back to power: Amit Shah

Dibrugarh: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday accused the Congress of using illegal migrants as a vote bank in Assam and asserted that the BJP would “throw out infiltrators one by one” if it returns to power in the state.

Addressing a massive public rally in Dibrugarh after laying the foundation stone for a new Assembly complex, Shah alleged that illegal immigration had altered Assam’s demography, deprived indigenous people of their rights and posed serious security threats.

“If this is not stopped now, it will create huge problems in the future. I promise you—if the BJP comes back to power in Assam, infiltrators will be expelled one by one,” he said.

Shah laid the foundation stone for the New Assembly Complex and an MLA hostel at Khanikar, a project worth Rs 284 crore to be built on 57 bighas of land. He also inaugurated the first phase of the Khanikar Stadium, a multi-disciplinary sports complex spread over 106 bighas with a seating capacity of 5,000, and laid the foundation stone for its second phase. The second stage, costing Rs 209 crore, will expand the stadium’s capacity to 35,000.

The Union Home Minister further laid the foundation stone for the Institute of Wildlife Health and Research at Dinjan, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 292 crore on 117 bighas and 6 lessas of land. In addition, he launched the Restoration and Rejuvenation of Wetlands of Assam project under the National Disaster Mitigation Fund. The Rs 692-crore project will cover 15 wetlands across the state, aimed at flood mitigation, irrigation support and the promotion of water sports.

Congratulating the people of Dibrugarh, Shah said the district had officially become the second capital of Assam with the foundation of the new Assembly complex. He highlighted what he described as an era of peace and rapid development in Assam and the Northeast under the BJP, reiterating that the region remained a priority for the central government.

Referring to India’s recently signed free trade agreement with the European Union, Shah said tea from Dibrugarh would now be exported to 27 European countries at zero tariff, benefiting tea gardens and workers. “With this agreement, the route for Dibrugarh’s tea has opened from Paris to Berlin,” he said.

Keeping the 2026 Assam Assembly elections in focus, Shah compared the BJP’s governance with what he termed as 60 years of Congress rule in the state. He alleged that despite Dibrugarh being the tea capital of Assam, successive Congress governments had failed to address the welfare of tea communities such as Santhals, Mundas, Kauls and Bengalis brought by the British to work in tea estates. He credited the 2025 Land Holdings Amendment for granting land pattas to nearly 20 lakh tea workers across 825 tea gardens, making them landowners.

Shah also said the Northeast was now being showcased on global platforms due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s special focus on the region. He claimed that world leaders and delegates were welcomed with traditional gamusas of the Northeast, while taking a swipe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi for allegedly refusing to wear one. “I want to ask what enmity he has against the Northeast,” Shah remarked.

Drawing a contrast with the past, Shah said that while the region once echoed with gunfire and bomb blasts during Congress rule, it now resonated with “Bhupendra Sangeet.” He said more than 20 peace accords had been signed under the BJP government and over 10,000 youths had laid down arms. He also noted that icons such as Bhupen Hazarika and Assam’s first Chief Minister Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi were awarded the Bharat Ratna during BJP-led governments.

Also Read: Amit Shah To Lay Foundation Stone for Second Assam Assembly Complex in Dibrugarh