Sent list of 60,000 Bangladeshis, Dispur didn’t act: Gadkari

Our Bureau

Guwahati, April 6: Union minister Nitin Gadkari today claimed the BJP–led Central government, in the last two years, had identified and compiled a list of 60,000 Bangladeshi immigrants in Assam and had sent it to the Assam government, but the latter did not take any action.

“The State government is not doing its part. That is why it is necessary to have a BJP government in the State,” he told a press conference.

Reminding that the Parliament was told way back in 2004 that there are some 50 lakh Bangladeshis in Assam, Gadkari said that the problem of illegal migration is “a Congress gift”.

 “Congress vote bank politics is encouraging illegal migrants and fomenting influx from across the border,” he said, stressing the need to strengthen security on the Indo–Bangladesh border.

Gadkari said the voter turnout in the first phase of polls was very high and it proved that the people are craving for change. “And BJP is the only altertive,” he said.

“The State has 1 crore BPL people, 30 lakh unemployed… 32,000 small industries had closed down during the last fifteen years, the State’s per capita income is lowest among the NE states… this is what the Congress has done to the State. I assure the people that we will work more in the next five years than (what has been done) in the past 50–60 years. In the past 60 years, Congress got the chance to develop Assam. During Independence, Assam was fifth in the top bracket and now it is ranked the 4th poorest state in the country,” he said, accusing the Congress–led State government of indulging in large–scale corruption, with the CAG pointing out irregularities to the tune of Rs 1,80,000 crore.

Addressing an election rally at Borkhetry, Gadkari said corruption and Congress are synonymous.

“The Centre has initiated steps for development and construction of tiol highways but the State government was demanding that these be handed over to them. When I asked BJP chief ministerial candidate Sarbanda Sonowal the reason, he told me that this was the source for indulging in corrupt practices by the Congress government,” he said.

The UPA government at the Centre, too, had to go because of scams to the tune of thousands of crores like the 2G and coal scams, Gadkari said.

“The BJP will not allow this at any cost. We are committed to provide a corruption–free government. We called for contracts for construction via e–tendering and no contractor had the guts to enter my office,” the Minister for Road Transport, Highways and Shipping said.