Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday blamed the Congress for ‘changing the demography’ of Assam by allowing infiltrators in the state.
Addressing a public rally in Golaghat during his Assam visit, Modi said, “…Amidst these development efforts, a challenge is becoming more and more severe in front of Assam. This challenge is of infiltration.”
“When the Congress government was here, it gave land to the infiltrators and gave protection to illegal occupation. Congress disturbed the balance of Assam’s demography in the greed of vote bank. Now the BJP government is fighting this challenge along with the people of Assam,” he said.
Further, he praised the BJP government of Assam for Mission Basundhara. “Under this, land leases have been given to lakhs of families… BJP is fully committed to correct the historical injustice done to the tribal society…,” he said.
‘Will Swallow Poison Of Insults’
Modi also launched a sharp attack on the Opposition Congress, over the abuse row, declaring that the people of India, and not any political leader, are his “remote control.”
Addressing a gathering in Assam’s Darang, where he inaugurated a series of development projects, Modi spoke emotionally about the recent controversy over verbal abuses directed at him and his late mother, Heeraben Modi.
“The people are my God. If I don’t share my pain with them, where else would I?” he said. “They are my masters, my deities, and my remote control. I do not have any other remote control.”
The Prime Minister, invoking his devotion to Lord Shiva, added that he would “swallow the poison” of insults hurled at him, a remark aimed squarely at the Opposition. “I know the whole Congress ecosystem will target me and say Modi is crying again,” he told the crowd.
The row erupted after offensive remarks against Modi and his mother were made from an RJD-Congress stage during campaigning in poll-bound Bihar. While the Congress has distanced itself, stressing that none of its leaders were present at the event, the controversy deepened when an AI-generated video of the Prime Minister’s mother was linked to the party.
The “remote control” reference carries added weight in the political context. Modi has often used the phrase to accuse former UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi of controlling then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He has also alleged that Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge operates under the influence of the Gandhi family, an accusation the Congress has repeatedly dismissed.
‘Congress Sprinkling Salt On Wounds’
With Bihar heading to the polls, Modi’s pointed remarks are likely to sharpen the war of words between the ruling BJP and the Opposition alliance, raising the political temperature even further.
During his address, PM Modi also invoked Jawaharlal Nehru saying the country’s first Prime Minister has said that after the 1962 Sino-India war the “wounds of the people of North East had not healed”. “The current generation of Congress is sprinkling salt on those wounds,” Modi said.
“For decades, Congress governed Assam, yet it constructed only three bridges over the Brahmaputra River in 60 to 65 years. In contrast, when you entrusted us with the opportunity, we built six new bridges in just a single decade. It’s only natural that you would appreciate our efforts and bless us with your support,” he said.
