Union Home Minister Amit Shah, in his first public event in Assam post Bhartiya Janta Party's (BJP) landslide victory in the assembly elections, said the BJP is strengthening its base in the North East region.
"BJP is strengthening its base in North East. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has been accepted by everyone, " said Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
The formation of the BJP government in Assam for the second time means that Assam has permanently rejected terrorism, riots and is moving towards development, the Home Minister said. He launched and laid the foundation stone of various development projects of Assam in Guwahati on July 25.
Shah also claimed that Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cleared all roadblocks and taken the northeast on the path of peace and development.
People of Assam have voted for the BJP for the second consecutive term as “they have realised that there is no place for ''aatankwad'' (insurgency) and ''andolan'' (agitation) in the state", Shah asserted.
“The irritants that had hindered peace and progress in the region have been removed. The journey of development that began more than five years ago must be accelerated,” the Union home minister said,
Shah further said that the Prime Minister has always accorded priority to the northeast region, and has recently inducted five ministers from the area in his Cabinet, including former chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
He also praised the efforts of both the former and current Chief Minister of Assam saying, "For the last five years, the way the duo of former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and current Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has run the government, people of Assam have preferred the path of development. Himanta Biswa Sarma is the new CM as he preferred the path of development. I congratulate the Assam Ministers, CM Sarma as they mark BJP's second consecutive innings in state."
Shah also said, "PM Modi has started a new development road in North East. He has visited the region 35 times in 7 years! No other PM has travelled to the region so many times."
Appreciating Assam's heritage and culture, Shah said, "BJP wants to protect and preserve Assam's language, its heritage, and its culture. BJP believes that the languages, dialects, cuisines, and other such traits are India's jewels and we need to preserve them."
He also mentioned about the Bodoland Agreement which was done in January 2020 under the leadership of PM Modi.
"Under PM Modi, the Bodoland Agreement was done. We have already met 90 % of the conditions of the agreement," Shah said.
"We've already given land in 9 areas out of the 14 demanded under the Bru-Reang Agreement, and before 2022, 35,000 Bru families will get land to live, food grains, pension and respect as Indian citizens," Shah said.
Last year, in January 2020, Amit Shah had presided over the signing of a historic agreement between the Government of India, Government of Assam and Bodo representatives in New Delhi to end the over 50-year old Bodo crisis. Further, a permanent solution has been found out for the problem that has cost the region over 4,000 lives.
With this Bodoland agreement, over 1,500 armed cadres gave up violence and joined the mainstream. A Special Development Package Rs 1500 crores over three years was given by the Union Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.
(With inputs from PTI and ANI)