 "Amit Shah, Assam")
Hitting out at Congress president Sonia Gandhi for "asking" Prime Minister Narendra Modi "to give an account" of his two-year-old government, BJP president Amit Shah today reminded her that election in Assam is being held for its Assembly and not Lok Sabha.
"Sonia Gandhi came in Assam for election campaigning and asked Narendra Modi to give an account of the last two years of his government. Soniaji, this is not Lok Sabha election but Assam's Assembly election," Shah said at an election rally in Assam ahead of the second and last phase of polling on April 11.
"When we come to Assam in 2019 (for Lok Sabha polls), we will give an account of all the work we have done and you don't have to ask us," he said.
"People of Assam gave you 15 years and sent a prime minister (Manmohan Singh) from here for 10 years. Sonia madam, people of Assam are instead asking you to give an account," the BJP chief said.
Expressing confidence that yesterday's large voter turnout in the first phase of polling in Assam pointed to the ouster of Congress from the state, Shah appealed to voters of the the second phase to give their mandate to BJP-AGP combine for bringing in change in the state and a "corruption-free government."
"Who will you (Congress) support now? Do you want support from Badruddin Ajmal to be chief minister of Assam," he asked referring to AIUDF president.
"Congress cannot stop him (Badruddin). Only BJP can. We are ready to sit in opposition for 50 years but not form government here with his support as it will be an insult to the people of Assam," Shah asserted.
Claiming that BJP can change Assam's future to make it the country's most developed state, he asked the people to "throw away the old (Congress) government and establish BJP-AGP government here."
Continuing his attack on Congress, he alleged that Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi and Ajmal fight publicly "but they can be seen uniting together at night in Guwahati."
Raking up the issue of infiltration of Bangladeshis in Assam, the BJP president claimed that Congress has left the border open and allowed them to enter using them as vote bank.
"These migrants then snatch away the jobs of the youth of Assam. If Tarun Gogoi or Congress wanted, they could have stopped infiltration in the last 50 years of their rule.
"Modi government is in the Centre. Make Sarbananda Sonowal chief minister here and no Bangladeshi infiltrator can enter Assam," Shah assured.
Shah said the Prime Minister wants the youth of Assam to do as well as the youth outside the state and be trained in IT.
Claiming that development has taken place wherever BJP has formed the government, Shah charged Congress with doing nothing in the last 15 years in Assam.
"In the last 50 years, Congress has indulged in corruption and Assam's development has been arrested. Crores of rupees come from Delhi. Where is that money? It can be found in Congress peoples' house in your villages," he claimed.
Shah also charged Congress government here with failing to submit project completion certificates utilising central funds, as, he alleged, the money went into "Congress pockets".
