DIBRUGARH, Nov 27 - The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) today kicked off its poll campaign for the ensuing State Assembly polls with a huge party workers� rally organised at the Old Govt Boy�s High School playground here.
The function was addressed by national party president Amit Shah, State president Sarbananda Sonowal, convener of the State BJP�s Election Management Committee Himanta Biswa Sarma, and others.
Shah, in his speech, said the Tarun Gogoi-led Congress government must be dislodged because it has failed to uplift the State and protect its borders. Shah said the State must be ruled by patriotic people who can develop the State, alleviate poverty, generate employment, halt infiltration and protect the boundaries for the State�s security and dignity.
�The people who seek to challenge the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and cannot work with him, must not get the opportunity to form the government in Assam,� he said. The BJP chief asked party workers to ensure formation of the BJP government in the State in order to reap the benefits of the developmental schemes launched by the Modi government.
He alleged that Central schemes are not reaching the common man at the grassroots under the Gogoi government.
�Several schemes are being launched by the Centre to generate employment and alleviate poverty, but they are not being implemented in the State. Assam cannot have a corruption-free government with Congress at the helm. Only BJP can provide corruption-free governance in the State. The State government has failed to show utilisation of several schemes worth crores of rupees. The government has received money from the Centre, but they must disclose where they have spent,� he said. Shah demanded that Chief Minister Gogoi must give account of every penny to the people of Assam.
On the alleged secret pre-poll alliance talks between Congress and AIUDF, Shah asked the crowd if Congress can ever solve the infiltration problem with AIUDF as its alliance partner. �Can they stop infiltration?� he asked and the crowd responded with �No�.
He posed a question to Tarun Gogoi as to why he was being secretive in dealing with AIUDF. Referring to Gogoi he said, �If you have courage, hold meetings with AIUDF openly and let the people know.�
�Our party does not compromise with the security of the nation and does not entertain vote-bank politics,� he said.
Shah assured that the party would take all steps to solve the burning issues of the State, like flood and erosion, infiltration, unemployment, poverty, power crisis, roads and potable water. BJP would connect the State with double-track railway lines to revitalise commercial activities and improve communication, he said.
He called upon party workers to go to every nook and corner of the State and each household to spread the message that Congress cannot bring development to the State.
Newly crowned State BJP chief Sonowal, in his speech, said the party has envisaged a corruption-free government in the State. He said there is no hatred and disharmony in Assam among the people of diverse ethnicity and religions, but Congress and AIUDF are conspiring to convert the State into a greater Bangladesh. He urged the people to be vigilant in this regard.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a fiery speech, criticised the Congress government for trying to win votes by distributing yarn and blankets to the poor.
�How can you give yarn and blankets to people while you choose to make your son an MP? If you can make your son an MP, you must give jobs to the people; not yarn and blankets to cheat them,� he said.
The meeting was also addressed by former State president and now a national spokesperson, Siddharth Bhattacharya, Jorhat MP Kamakhya Tasa, national BJP general secretary (organisational) Ram Lal, Guwahati MP Bijoya Chakravarty, former State BJP president Ramen Deka, former AASU general secretary turned BJP leader Tapan Gogoi, and a few party MLAs.
