Assam To Get Rs 50,000 crore As Its Tax Share This Year: PM
Guwahati: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday launched a frontal attack on the Congress party, accusing it of resorting to divisive policies, corruption in defense deals and neglecting the Northeast.
Addressing the BJP workers here, Mr. Modi said that while the Muslim League divided India during the Independence period, “today, the Congress has become the Muslim League-Maoist Congress and is in the process of dividing India.”
Accusing that the Congress lacked the courage to take decisions and was at best only making statements, he said the grand old party had always put the country at risk. “Congress never gave priority to the security of the nation. The entire Northeast lived in fear and insecurity due to the negativity of Congress governments. Congress always kept the country at risk. Whenever arms were purchased for the army during Congress’ tenure, it amounted to a fraud of thousands of millions,” he said.
Mr Modi also said: “Today the country is strengthening its armed forces. India is building magnificent highways, magnificent tunnels, high bridges and modern airports on its borders. It is improving the security of the country and that is why the Congress is stunned. They wonder how Modi has achieved all this.”
He further said: “Congress wants to disturb Assam once again. Congress wants to give it back to infiltrators once again. Be it top leaders in Delhi or leaders here, they are all trying to save the infiltrators. They want to change the original identity of Assam.”
Pointing out that the BJP looks at the northeast as “Goddess Ashtalakshmi”, Mr. Modi, while highlighting the Union Budget allocations, said Assam will get Rs 50,000 crore as its share of taxes this year. “The budget mainly focuses on making the northeast economically self-sufficient. This year, Assam will get around Rs 50,000 crore as its share of taxes… We must remember well how Assam was left to starve during the Congress government. During the Congress regime, Assam received only Rs 10,000 crore as its share of taxes. Now, under the BJP government, Assam is getting 5 times more money than it received under the Congress government,” he said.
He noted that in the past 11 years, Assam has received more than Rs 5.5 lakh crore from the Center for various development projects. The Prime Minister said the latest budget largely focused on improving connectivity and economic self-reliance in the Northeast, which he described as “Goddess Ashtalakshmi”.
Thousands of billions of dollars have been allocated for highway and road projects in Assam, he said, adding that improving connectivity will increase employment and tourism.
Asking party workers to intensify their efforts for the upcoming assembly elections in Assam, Mr. Modi said the greatest pride and honor in his life is to be the karyakarta of the Bharatiya Janata Party.
He said that the heights reached by the BJP were due to the dedication and hard work of its employees. “I am proud to say that the greatest highlight of my life, my greatest honor, is that Narendra Modi is a karyakarta of the BJP. As a BJP worker, I bow my head to the strength of our karyakartas and the organization in Assam. I also offer my greetings to Maa Adi Shakti and Maa Kamakhya,” he said.
Describing party workers as the life force of the BJP, Mr Modi said it was their determination that took the organization forward. “Our belief is based on organization. We are united by one mantra: Bharat Mata Ki Jai,” he added.
He also touched upon the 2019 Pulwama terror attack and paid tribute to the security personnel who lost their lives. While highlighting Operation Sindoor, India’s response to the Pahalgam terror attack, he said India has since demonstrated its resolve to respond to terrorist threats.
“You have seen it recently in Operation Sindoor,” he said, referring to India’s security response, adding that such action would not have been possible under the Congress government.
“Today is Pulwama anniversary. I pay my respects to the deceased. India has shown how it should react since then. You saw it recently in Op Sindoor. But can you expect this from the Congress, which refuses to recognize India as a nation?” he said.
Earlier, Mr. Modi had inaugurated and flagged off various development projects worth over 5,450 crore rupees in Assam. He inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varma Setu in Guwahati, built at a cost of 3,000 crore rupees along the Brahmaputra River connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati.
Virtually inaugurated the temporary campus of IIM Guwahati and the National Data Center for the North East Region at Amingaon in Kamrup district.
The Prime Minister also flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewerage Program for four cities in India. 100 buses for Guwahati, 50 buses for Nagpur and Bhavnagar and 25 buses for Chandigarh.
