Congress kept Bangla border open: Shah

Sounding the party's poll bugle, BJP president says Tarun Gogoi government misusing central funds

Our Bureau

Dibrugarh, Nov 27: BJP president Amit Shah on Friday launched the party's campaign for the State assembly election targeting the State Congress government for "misusing Central funds" and "allowing infiltrators from Bangladesh to enter the State".

Addressing the party's Karyakarta Sabha here attended by over 25,000 people, Shah accused the State government of not giving "accounts" for over 150 schemes funded by the Central government.

"The Central government has released the initial amounts of many schemes. But the State government could not furnish the accounts of the expenditure of the money. The schemes are only in paper. For implementation of those schemes, there has to be a corruption-free government in the State and only the BJP can give it," Shah said.

Comparing Assam with other developed states like Gujarat, the BJP president questioned: "The Congress has ruled the State for fifteen years…why then there is no 24X7 power supply? Why there are so many villages still not connected with roads? Why there are villages without schools? Why villagers are still not getting potable water?"

Raking up the illegal migrant issue, the BJP president accused the Congress government in Assam of allowing illegal immigrants from Bangladesh to enter the north-eastern state for vote bank politics, which threatened tiol security.

The Bharatiya Jata Party was the only party that did not compromise on tiol security for vote bank politics, Shah said.

He claimed that a state free of illegal immigrants was not possible under the Congress rule in Assam.

Shah, who arrived here on Friday morning, accused the Congress of entering a "tacit understanding" with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), and dared Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi to talk openly with AIUDF chief Maula Badaruddin Ajmal rather than have a secret understanding.

"...main aap logon se poochh chahta hun kya Congress aur AIUDF aapko Bangladeshi mukt Assam de sakta hain (Do you think Congress and AIUDF can give you a Bangladeshi-free Assam?)," Shah said while slamming the alleged vote bank politics of the Congress and AIUDF.

Reiterating his party's commitment towards the region's development, Shah mentioned the ongoing ga peace talks and the extradition of United Liberation Front of Asom general secretary Anup Chetia from Bangladesh and said it was BJP-led central government that was working actively towards regiol development.

"Assam is a state with intertiol borders. We know the necessity for a secured border. Being a frontal state, Assam needs, above all, a patriotic government, a committed government that understands the importance of tiol security. Only a BJP government can ensure all these," he said.

Shah asked BJP workers in Assam to move from door to door ahead of the 2016 assembly elections and highlight the alleged corruption of the Congress government in the state.

Justifying the Centre's move on a land swap deal between India and Bangladesh, which, he said, was being wrongly interpreted, Shah claimed that the treaty would help permanently resolve the issue of illegal infiltration from the neighbouring country.

He also said the BJP was committed in laying double-track to improve railway connectivity in the State.