‘Give us 5 more years to free Assam of illegal immigrants’: Shah at Bordowa

Nagaon, Dec 29: Union Home Minister Amit Shah, on Monday, inaugurated the Rs 227-crore redeveloped Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardev, in Assam’s Nagaon district.

Addressing a gathering after the inauguration, Shah asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is committed to make Assam free of illegal immigrants.

“Today, the process of freeing the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev in Nagaon, which was under the clutches of encroachers, has been completed,” Shah said, drawing loud applause from the audience.

The Home Minister said the Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Abhirbhav Kshetra would emerge as a major centre of bhakti, public worship and spiritual awakening, reconnecting people with Sankardeva’s 500-year-old legacy.

“Hearing naam in prayer halls takes devotees back to the era of Sankardeva and strengthens cultural continuity in Assam,” he said.

Recalling his earlier visit, Shah said he had performed the bhumi pujan for the project on December 26, 2020, and expressed satisfaction at being able to inaugurate the completed complex.

Highlighting Sankardeva’s role in shaping Assam’s cultural identity, Shah said the saint carried his ideals across the Northeast and propagated the idea of a unified India.

“Sankardev conveyed the idea of one India even to those who wished to fragment the nation. That same ideal is being carried forward today under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi,” he said.

Shah questioned whether encroachment by illegal immigrants from Bangladesh could ever be justified and congratulated Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for leading eviction drives across the state, including in Kaziranga National Park.

Launching a sharp attack on the Congress, Shah accused the party of facilitating illegal settlements in Assam. “Congress even provided legal assistance to illegal immigrants to help them settle in the state,” he alleged.

Citing figures, Shah claimed that the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had spent Rs 1.28 lakh crore in Assam over ten years, while the Modi government had invested around Rs 15 lakh crore in the state.

He also highlighted peace initiatives, saying Assam had moved away from decades of violence and insurgency.

“There was a time when Assam echoed with bomb blasts and our youth carried AK-47s. Under Prime Minister Modi, the Bodo and Karbi peace accords, as well as agreements with Adivasi groups and ULFA, were signed. Today, Assam echoes with naam and devotional songs,” Shah said.

The Home Minister noted that Prime Minister Modi had visited the Northeast nearly 80 times in 11 years, including 36 visits to Assam, compared to seven visits by former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his 12-year tenure.

“If the people of Assam give the BJP another five years, we will free the entire state from illegal immigrants. This is our pledge,” Shah said.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma began his address with a recitation from the Naam Ghosa, calling the day sacred for Assam.

“The people of Assam entrusted the BJP government with the responsibility of evicting encroachers from Borduwa Than and developing the Abhirbhav Kshetra. People will not have to pay a single rupee to visit the Than. We believe decisions to preserve our community must emanate from Borduwa Than,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister warned that Assamese society is facing a threat from a section of “unknown people” who, he alleged, neither understand nor believe in the teachings of Sankardev and Madhavdev.

“Our gurus are Sankar and Madhabdev, not Sankar and Ajan Fakir. Some secularists try to equate them, but our gurus are Sankar and Madhabdev alone,” Sarma said.

He stressed that development without community identity has no value and said eviction drives have already freed satra land, VGR, PGR and around 1.45 lakh bighas of land for indigenous communities, though “much remains to be done”.

“From Batadrava Than, I take a pledge that we will never allow such people to live peacefully in the state,” the Chief Minister said.

Earlier in the day, Shah flew to Borduwa in a Border Security Force (BSF) helicopter after landing in Guwahati at 11 am.

On arrival, he was accorded a traditional welcome by gayan-bayan (singers and drummers) and visited the main central building housing the Guru Asana, the seat of the revered saint.

With inputs from PTI