Infiltrators Will Be Driven Out Nationwide Like In Assam: Amit Shah
Upon his arrival at Guwahati airport, Shah took a helicopter to Borduwa in Nagaon district, where he will inaugurate the Rs 227 crore redevelopment project of the Batadrava Than
Guwahati: Union home minister Amit Shah who on Monday inaugurated the Rs 227-crore redeveloped Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Srimanta Sankardeva, in Assam's Nagaon district announced that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is committed to drive out infiltrators from the country like Assam.
Addressing a gathering at the Batadrava Cultural Project, Mr Shah regretted while pointing out as to how Bangladeshi infiltrators had encroached the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, a revered Vaishnav saint and social reformer.
Lauding Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for driving out the encroachers and re-establishing the sacred Namghar at the site, the union home minister asserted, “The BJP resolves to remove all infiltrators from the entire country.” He asked the gathering---"Was it right that Bangladeshi infiltrators were there at this place of Sankardeva?”
Launching a frontal attack on Congress party Mr Shah said, "Congress treated infiltrators - who threatened the people, culture and identity of Assam, as its vote bank.”
Backing the ongoing eviction drive of the state government, Mr Shah said that more than one lakh bighas of land had been freed from encroachers.
He alleged that previous Congress governments failed to act despite sacrifices made during the Assam Movement. "Congress ruled for so many years, but it did not do anything for those who gave their lives for the Assam movement," he said.
The Home Minister also invoked the legacy of Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi, crediting Assam's first chief minister with ensuring that Assam and the Northeast remained part of India. "If Gopinath ji had not been there, Assam and the entire Northeast would not have been a part of India. It was he who forced Jawaharlal Nehru to keep Assam in India," Mr Shah said.
Describing Batadrava Than as a symbol of Assamese unity and harmony, Mr Shah said that it represented the inclusive 'nav-vaishnav dharma' propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva, where people from all communities come together.
Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma while addressing the gathering said that in the last decade, the state government had freed around 1.45 lakh bighas of land from illegal encroachers and would continue the drive. He appealed to encroachers to voluntarily vacate Satra and government land.
Developing over 162 bighas of encroachment-free land at a cost of around Rs 217 crore, the Batadrava Cultural Project aims to emerge as a world-class spiritual and cultural tourism hub, showcasing Assam's heritage while promoting Sankardeva's ideals of devotion, equality and social harmony.
The union home minister who returned to Guwahati on Monday afternoon also inaugurated a RS 111-crore new building of the Guwahati police Commissionerate and the Rs 189-crore integrated command and control system (ICCS) to bolster the city's security.
He also inaugurated the Rs 291- crore Jyoti Bishnu Cultural Complex, an auditorium with a 5,000 seating capacity in Guwahati.
