Assam has rejected terrorism and is moving towards development, says Amit Shah

Guwahati: In his address at the first public event in Assam after victory in the assembly elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said the BJP is strengthening its base in the North East region.The formation of the BJP government in Assam for the second time means that Assam has permanently rejected terrorism, riots and is moving towards development, Shah said.

Today, Amit Shah launched and laid the foundation stone of various development projects of Assam in Guwahati.

While addressing the public event, Shah said, "BJP is strengthening its base in North East. Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s leadership has been accepted by everyone."Lauding the efforts of former and current Assam Chief Ministers, Shah said, "For the last five years, the way the duo of former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and current Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has run the government, people of Assam have preferred the path of development.

Himanta Biswa Sarma is the new CM as he preferred the path of development. I congratulate the Assam Ministers, CM Sarma as they mark BJP`s second consecutive innings in the state.

"Targeting the opposition, Amit Shah hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi`s new Cabinet and highlighted the Centre`s priorities towards the north-eastern region. "Since independence, not once have five ministers from North East been selected in Cabinet. This was done for the first time in PM Modi`s Cabinet. This shows where North East stands in BJP and PM Modi`s priorities. We want to increase North East`s contribution in development," said Home Minister Amit Shah.

Shah also said, "PM Modi has started a new development road in North East. He has visited the region 35 times in 7 years! No other PM has travelled to the region so many times."Appreciating Assam`s heritage and culture, Shah said, "BJP wants to protect and preserve Assam`s language, its heritage, and its culture. BJP believes that the languages, dialects, cuisines, and other such traits are India`s jewels and we need to preserve them.""Under PM Modi, the Bodoland Agreement was done.

We have already met 90 percent of the conditions of the agreement," Shah said."We`ve already given land in 9 areas out of the 14 demanded under the Bru-Reang Agreement, and before 2022, 35,000 Bru families will get land to live, food grains, pension, and respect as Indian citizens," Shah said.

Last year, in January 2020, Amit Shah had presided over the signing of a historic agreement between the Government of India, Government of Assam, and Bodo representatives in New Delhi to end the over 50-year old Bodo crisis.

Further, a permanent solution has been found out for the problem that has cost the region over 4,000 lives. With this Bodoland agreement, over 1,500 armed cadres gave up violence and joined the mainstream. A Special Development Package Rs 1500 crores over three years was given by the Union Government to undertake specific projects for the development of Bodo areas.

"The fruition of this vision can also be seen in the Bru-Reang agreement signed on January 16, 2020, to end the humanitarian crisis in Meghalaya and Tripura, the recent surrender of 644 armed cadres in Assam, and the surrender of 88 armed NLFT cadres in Tripura to bring them to the mainstream, in addition to this agreement," Shah had said last year.

(With agency inputs)