Guwahati, Assam: 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, without declaring any financial package in contrast to the media hype created by some local Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, on 19 January 2016 kicked off the saffron party’s electoral campaign in Assam of northeast India.

Arriving at Kokrajhar, the headquarters of Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) in the morning from Gangtok in a chopper, PM Modi addressed a massive public rally, where he emphasized on good governance and sustainable economic development across northeast India.

Flanked by the Union Sports & Youth Affairs minister Sarbananda Sonowal (also Assam BJP president), Minister of State for Development of North Eastern Region – DoNER Dr Jitendra Singh, BTC chief Hagrama Mohilary, BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sharma, Parliamentarian Biswajit Daimary with many other local leaders, the Prime Minister committed for all-round progress of the Bodoland Territorial Autonomous Districts in Assam on fast track mode.

Starting his speech in Bodo language, PM Modi created great enthusiasm among the audience, but he did not declare any financial package to the BTC administration as was expected by the leaders of Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), which had recently declared its support the BJP in the forthcoming Assam Legislative Assembly polls due next few months.

Organized by the BPF at Bodofa Nagar of Kokrajhar, the rally impressed the Prime Minister which he expressed in his speech. Assuring Scheduled Tribes status to Karbi people living in the plain and Bodo Kachari community in the hill districts of Assam, PM Modi declared that his three-point agenda for Assam is development, development and development!

“The solution to all the problems lies in development. It is my dream to provide electricity to each family in our country by 2022 when the nation will celebrate its 75 years of Independence,” said PM Modi adding that the Kokrajhar based Central Institute of Technology will get the status of a deemed university. He also assured of developing Rupsi Airport in Dhubri and the daily Kanchenjunga express train route to be extended up to Silchar in Barak valley.

After the Kokrajhar meeting, the Prime Minister left for Guwahati to address a mammoth youth rally at Khanapara locality. PM Modi started his speech greeting the people of Assam with Bhogali Bihu greetings and reciting few a lines from a poem penned by legendary Assamese bard Ambikagiri Raichaudhury that made the atmosphere more charged. Lashing out at the Congress government led by Tarun Gogoi at Dispur, Modi criticized that Congress has ruled Assam for an uninterrupted 15 years and also elected a Prime Minister (Dr Manmohan Singh to Rajya Sabha from Assam) for two consecutive terms, but that they performed very poorly. He also quipped, “Those who could do nothing in the last 15 years expect me to do everything in 15 months.”

In his stimulating speech, Modi batted for an organic northeastern region on the lines of Sikkim. He declared that he had a dream to make the alienated region a hub of organic farming of India. “The Centre will leave no stone unturned to fulfill aspirations of northeastern youths. My government is working for an all-round development of the region, such that not a single local skilled youth has to leave their families to seek employment outside the region,” said Modi.

He also pointed out that Assam as well as the whole region is full of natural resources including the water which indicate its potential for fast economic development. The Prime Minister also emphasized on tapping the hydropower of the region scientifically to illuminate the country.

Prior to arriving in Assam, PM Modi inaugurated the Sikkim organic festival at Epics Garden near to Gangtok in the morning and was appreciated of the initiative of State chief minister Pawan Chamling for the welfare of farmers and tribes. Commenting that he was in Sikkim as the guest of the State’s farmers, Modi also looked round at organic food and products stalls which decoratively displayed their varieties including vegetables and fruits.

He also addressed the plenary session of the national conference on sustainable agriculture and farmers welfare at Gangtok on the previous day. In another programme, Modi digitally opened the logo of ‘Sikkim Organic’ and also named three new orchid species developed in Sikkim.

Before his departure to New Delhi from Guwahati, the Prime Minister interacted with a huge group of students from IIT-Guwahati, Indian Institute of Information Technology, Gauhati University and Cotton College at north Guwahati. He revealed that amidst all challenges, the Indian economy was on an upswing and soon India would emerge as the biggest supplier of technical manpower to the world. “Our youths, which comprise 65 per cent of our population today, are the driving force of India. Today’s youths dream big and they are capable of realising their dreams. They will no longer be job-seekers, but job creators for others. The need of the hour is to harness and sustain this amazing youth power through skill development,” stated Modi.

The Prime Minister also unveiled the foundation plaque of IIIT and inaugurated the Electronics and ICT Academy in IIT-G campus in presence of Assam Governor PB Acharya, State CM Gogoi, Union human resource development minister Smriti Irani with many other dignitaries to culminate his two-day visit to Sikkim and Assam.