Congress indulging in anti-national activities, wants illegal immigrants to settle in Assam: PM Modi

Namrup, Dec 21: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Congress, accusing it of engaging in “anti-national” activities and helping illegal Bagladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam.

The PM, addressing a public rally after unveiling a Rs 10,601-crore fertiliser plant at Namrup in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, also alleged that the Congress did not make any effort to modernise the old plant here, and find solutions to problems faced by farmers.

“The Congress is indulging in anti-national activities. They want illegal Bangladeshi immigrants to settle in Assam’s forests and lands. They only want to strengthen their vote bank, and don’t care about the people,” the PM claimed.

He said the opposition party is not concerned about the identity, existence and pride of Assamese people, which the BJP has been trying to protect.

“The Congress is opposing the revision of voter lists as it only wants to grab power… They oppose whatever good I try to do… The BJP government will always work to protect the identity, land, pride and existence of Assamese people,” Modi asserted.

Addressing the rally on the second and final day of his Assam tour, the Prime Minister alleged that the Congress has inflicted “so much wrongs” to this country that despite “correcting” those for the last 11 years, a lot of work still remained to bring everything on track.

“When our government awarded Dr Bhupen Hazarika the Bharat Ratna, the Congress openly opposed the decision. Its national president remarked that ‘Modi nachne gane walon ko Bharat Ratna de raha hai’ (Modi is giving Bharat Ratna to dancers-singers), which is an insult to both Bhupen Da and the people of Assam,” Modi asserted.

He said the BJP government’s aim is to make Assam as powerful as it was during the Ahom dynasty centuries ago.

“Industrialisation and connectivity are fulfilling Assam’s dreams. The double-engine government of the BJP is empowering youths to see new dreams.”

Modi said the Namrup urea plant will support local farmers and create thousands of jobs for youths of Assam.

“The Namrup fertiliser plant in Assam will become the epitome of the country’s industrial growth. It is sad that the Congress did not make efforts to modernise the plant, and find solutions to problems faced by farmers,” he said.

The PM said that one after another, units got closed at Namrup, as the technology became redundant.

“Among various agricultural welfare initiatives, it is essential to ensure a continuous supply of fertiliser to our farmers. This urea factory will fulfill that need.”

Once production begins at this plant, having an annual output of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, the supply chain will become more efficient and logistics costs will be significantly reduced, he said.

Modi emphasised that India will progress only if farmers prosper, and the BJP government has introduced several schemes to uplift them.

“Many fertiliser factories were closed during the Congress rule, but when we came to power, the BJP government established several new plants throughout the country,” he said.

The PM also said that the Centre’s palm oil mission will make the northeast self-sufficient in edible oil and increase farmers’ income in the coming days.

Modi told the rally that when Russian President Vladimir Putin recently visited India, Assam’s black tea was gifted to him.

“We facilitated the opening of Jan Dhan accounts for 7.5 lakh tea garden workers in Assam. Funds can now be transferred directly to their accounts, ensuring greater transparency and efficiency. The BJP government is also working to improve basic amenities in tea garden regions,” the PM said.

Noting that India cannot develop without northeast’s progress, Modi said people have been lauding Assam’s development momentum.

“The benefits of development have reached the poor in far-flung areas of the country. Due to our relentless efforts, 25 crore people have been uplifted from poverty and a neo-middle class has been created in India,” Modi asserted.

Highlighting several farmer-centric measures, he said that urea output in the country has been increased to 306 lakh metric tonnes from 225 lakh metric tonnes in 2014.

“India needs 380 lakh metric tonnes annually. We are moving towards eliminating this gap. The fertiliser that we import, we give subsidies on it so that our farmers do not feel the burden.”

He, however, cautioned farmers against spraying urea uncontrollably to get higher yields, as it affects the soil quality.

“We need to protect our motherland. If we care and protect it, only then will it give us the fruits,” Modi said.

“Funds are being directly transferred to the accounts so that farmers do not have to wander for loans. So far, around Rs 4 lakh crore has been transferred to farmers’ accounts under the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi,” he said.

The Prime Minister said that earlier, farmers had to wait in long queues for urea, with police personnel often deployed at distribution centres, who sometimes resorted to lathicharge to maintain order.

“What the Congress government neglected, our government is committed to rebuilding with full dedication,” he added.