Guwahati, March 15 Union Home Minister Amit Shah kicked off the BJP's campaign in Assam, asserting that the party would return to power for a third consecutive term with the highest-ever mandate.
Just hours before the Election Commission announced the dates for the assembly elections, Shah addressed two consecutive events and launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that it provided shelter to infiltrators, defamed the nation through the "shirtless" protest at the AI Summit, encouraged violence, and did nothing for the state's youth.
Speaking at the youth convention of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) here, he urged the people of the state to give another mandate to the BJP and assured them that "every infiltrator will be sent out of India."
"I am confident that the BJP will once again form a government in Assam with the largest-ever mandate and the support of the youth," he said.
In the current 126-member assembly, the ruling BJP has 64 members, while its allies AGP has nine, UPPL has seven, and the BPF has three. Polling will be held in the state on April 9.
"The Congress provided shelter to infiltrators, but the BJP government is determined to identify each one and drive them out of the country," Shah said.
The EC conducted a Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in some states, but the Congress protested against the exercise, he claimed.
"The Congress legalized, formalized, and normalized infiltration, but the BJP will remove each illegal immigrant from the electoral rolls. Rahul 'Babu' can rest assured that not only their names will be removed from the electoral rolls, but they will also be driven out," he said.
Shah praised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for carrying out eviction drives in the state, targeting infiltrators.
"Sarma has already cleared 1.5 lakh acres of land encroached by infiltrators, and the day will soon come when there will not be a single one left in the country," he added.
Shah claimed that during the Congress rule, Assam was "known for violence," and several youths were killed.
"The Congress did nothing for the youth, but its leaders were only concerned about the benefits of their families," he said.
He alleged that the opposition party believes in "corruption, polarization by promoting infiltrators, and looking after the interests of their children," and claimed that the BJP's focus has been on "development, driving out infiltrators, and ensuring that the interests of the poor are taken care of."
The Union Minister continued his criticism of the Congress, accusing the party of defaming the country during the AI Summit in New Delhi when its members staged a protest at the venue by taking off their shirts.
Shah asserted that in his bid to "constantly oppose the PM and the BJP, Rahul Gandhi has now started going against the country."
"Political parties often make mistakes, but they apologize, and even the Congress has done so before. Rahul Gandhi, however, has crossed all levels of decency and instead of apologizing, he went on to say that those involved in this shameful act were his 'babbar sher' (courageous people)," he said.
Shah also criticized Gandhi for sometimes having "chai (tea) and pakora at the gates of Parliament".
"Does he not know where to eat breakfast? Parliament is the sacred place of our democracy, and even protesting or holding a 'dharna' there is not a democratic culture. He, however, went two steps ahead.... he is defaming India and its democracy across the world," he said.
Earlier unveiling healthcare projects worth Rs 2,092 crore, Shah alleged that the Congress, during its previous 15 years of rule in Assam, "pocketed" Rs 150 crore per annum from the state's healthcare budget.
The BJP, on the other hand, has transformed the sector within its 10 years of rule in the state, he said.
Alleging that there was corruption in the sector during the Congress rule till 2016, Shah said, "For 15 years, every year, Rs 150 crore from the state's health budget was pocketed by them."
"This money was shown as spent for the treatment of 9 lakh children who were never born and 390 Anganwadi centres that were never constructed," he claimed.
After Himanta Biswa Sarma became the CM, he brought Assam's medical facilities at par with states like Gujarat, Maharashtra and Karnataka, Shah said, adding that the BJP works for affordable healthcare for all sections of society.
"In the last 10 years, Assam has become self-reliant in both medical care and education sectors," he added.
Shah noted that Assam is the only state where the government is procuring a proton therapy machine for cancer treatment, which is currently available in expensive private facilities.
"The state's progress in healthcare is reflected in improvements in indices such as maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate and institutional delivery," he said.