PM sets mood for 2026 assembly polls during two-day Assam visit

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

Guwahati/Namrup: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday concluded his two-day visit to Assam during which he launched projects worth Rs 15,600 crore, interacted with students and BJP workers, paid homage to martyrs, and targeted the Congress on multiple issues, setting the stage for the 2026 assembly polls in the state.

The visit, Modi’s third to the state this year, blended emotional appeals with a focus on infrastructure and politics.

On Saturday, he paid homage to martyrs of the Assam Agitation, unveiled an 80-foot statue of the state’s first Chief Minister Gopinath Bardoloi at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport, inaugurated the airport’s new Rs 4,000-crore terminal, and addressed a public rally.

At the rally, Modi accused the Congress of encouraging infiltrators to grab land and forests along with neglecting the development of the state and the region.

On Sunday, Modi began the day by interacting with 25 students during a ‘Pariksha Pe Charcha’ programme aboard the three-storey cruise ship ‘MV Charaidew 2’ sailing on the Brahmaputra.

He spent 45 minutes answering students’ questions on academics, personal development, and career aspirations.

The PM’s next stop was at the at the ‘Swahid Smarak Kshetra’ here where he paid homage to martyrs of the Assam Agitation, a movement against illegal immigrants. Modi paid floral tributes in front of a lamp, which always remains lit in memory of the 860 martyrs of the six-year-long movement that ended in 1985.

During his 20-minute visit, the PM walked around the memorial and toured a gallery where the busts of the martyrs are placed.

He also garlanded the bust of the first martyr of the Assam Agitation, Khargeswar Talukdar.

After paying his homage at the Martyrs’ Column, Modi left for Dibrugarh in Upper Assam and then to Namrup where he laid the foundation stone of a Rs 10,601-crore brownfield ammonia-urea plant in Dibrugarh district.

The Assam Valley Fertiliser and Chemical Company Ltd (AVFCCL) will have an annual urea production capacity of 12.7 lakh metric tonnes, and the project is scheduled for commissioning in 2030.

The ‘Bhoomi Poojan’ took place in presence of Governor Lakshman Prasad Acharya, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma along with other ministers, MPs, MLAs, senior officials and representatives of stakeholder organisations of the new company.

It is touted to be the first factory of its kind in India to use associated natural gas as basic raw material for producing nitrogenous fertiliser.|

The PM rounded up his Assam tour by addressing a public rally at Namrup where he 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 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.

He 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, alleging that the Congress did not make any effort to modernise the old fertiliser plant here, and find solutions to problems faced by farmers.

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.

Modi left for New Delhi from Dibrugarh airport where he was seen off by Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, CM Sarma and some of his cabinet colleagues.