Prime Minister Narendra Modi here on Saturday started his two-day campaign trail in Assam by slamming the ruling Congress for 60 years of “misrule”.
Asserting that his fight was not against chief minister Tarun Gogoi but “poverty, corruption and destruction” of the state, Mr Modi, who addressed four public meetings, asked for five year to reverse the trend.
Mr Modi, who attracted massive turn out in his rallies, called for a change of regime in Assam. “You gave 60 years to the Congress expecting development, but you yourself have seen the result. I am asking for five years from you,” Mr Modi said, adding, “What the Congress could not do in 60 years, we will do in five years.”
While addressing a rally at Tinsukia in Upper Assam, Mr Modi said, “Assam was one of the most prosperous states at the time of Independence. Today, it is one of the poorest. There are many villages in Assam which don’t have electric poles.”
Referring to the massive turnout of people, Mr Modi said that Assam is all set to get a young and capable chief minister in Sarbananda Sonowal.
Mr Modi mocked octogenarian Assam chief minister for his continuous tirade at public that his fight is with the Prime Minister. “I am not here for a fight against Mr Gogoi. My fight is against poverty, unemployment, corruption, absence of education, sickness, backwardness, Assam’s destruction,” Mr Modi said and also took a dig at the age of the 79-year-old CM, saying, “Gogoiji, in a few years, you will be 90. You are my elder. I come to Assam to pranam (greet) you and not fight with you. According to our tradition, the elder blesses the younger. This is the time for you to bless those younger.”
He urged the people to give the BJP a chance to rule the state for the next five years and asked them to question what the current Congress government has done in the last 15 years of its rule.
“The people of Assam have the right to ask the government where their money went,” he said. He announced that his party aimed to provide “education to the poor, employment to the youth and medicines to senior citizens”. He alleged that the present government headed by Mr Gogoi was not capable of utilising the money sent by the Centre. He said that Mr Gogoi has not been able to give an account of the money sent to him from the Centre to the CAG.
Earlier, addressing a public rally in Tinsukia, the tea belt of Upper Assam, Mr Modi said, “When I was a tea-seller, it was the Assam tea I sold which refreshed people, I owe a debt to Assam for that.” The Prime Minister also recalled his association with the state as a BJP worker. Mr Modi addressed rallies at Majuli, Narayanpur, Bokakhat and Jorhat on Saturday.
He is scheduled to address two more rallies, at Rangapara and Hailakandi, on Sunday. Assam goes to the polls on April 4 and 11.
