Union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in Guwahati, which will go to polls in a few months from now, on late Friday, 25 December, night amid much fanfare to begin his two-day visit to the Northeast.
Home Minister Shah, who landed at the Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati around midnight, was received by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
In his speech, Shah said that all terrorist organisations in Assam have surrendered and returned to the mainstream.
He further added that by signing the Bodoland Territorial Region agreement, the Modi government has initiated the process of establishing peace in Assam. Bodo youths who had taken up arms have now joined the mainstream, he added.
"The Bodoland election...was only a semi-final. Now the final is ahead. In the Assam polls, we will have full majority. The Sonowal-Himanta combination has worked wonders for Assam," he said referring to the state legislative polls scheduled for April 2021.
Taking about the ongoing farmer protests, he said that farmers should resolve their issues through discussions.
While addressing a public meeting at Amingaon Parade Ground in Guwahati, Shah said that the entire eastern India comprising Odisha, Bihar, West Bengal and the northeastern states have turned into a growth engine for India. “If the northeast region is not developed, India’s development would remain incomplete.”
Laying the foundation stones for nine law colleges across Assam, the Home Minister said that several medical colleges have already been set up in Assam and more would be established in the coming years.
"Progress of Assam was disturbed by agitations. There was a period of movements. Many agitations were launched over different issues in which hundreds of youths were killed. The peace of Assam was disturbed and development was halted," he said.
Referring to the contribution and significance of Assamese seer Srimanta Sankardev, Shah said that Assamese culture is Indian culture, the BJP government would take the philosophy of Srimanta Sankardev not only across the country but also abroad.
Srimanta Sankardev was a 15th-16th century Assamese saint, scholar, poet, playwright, social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in the cultural and religious history of the state.
Launching a developmental project costing Rs 188 crore for Batadrava, the birthplace of Sankardeva, the BJP leader said: "Despite ruling many years in Assam and at the Centre, the Congress didn’t do anything for the birthplace of Sankardeva whose contributions gave recognition to Assam’s history, drama writing, art and poetry.
Appreciating the performances of Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Finance and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, Shah said that the Modi government has established long-lasting peace in the Bodoland Territorial Region by signing a historic peace accord with the Bodo militants.
(With inputs from NDTV and ANI.)
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)