Prime Minister Narendra Modi will join the BJP's campaigning trail in Assam today with five election rallies in just few hours. The state will go to the polls in two phases on April 4 and 11 and the counting will be done on May 19.
Making the issue of illegal immigrants in Assam as a major poll plank, BJP has promised to ensure sealing of Indo-Bangladesh border in its 'vision document' unveiled here as it accused Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi of encouraging infiltration and destroying demography.
"Congress tried to destroy and change the demography of the state by encouraging infiltration. Congress has been doing it for many decades and took no action," Union Minister Arun Jaitley said attacking the Gogoi government while releasing BJP's Vision Document for Assam on Friday.
The BJP Assam Vision Document 2016-2025 promised to work closely with the Centre for "complete sealing of the Indo-Bangladesh border in the state" if it was voted to power.
Referring to Congress' allegation of fund cut to the state by the NDA government, Jaitley said "Assam will get 148 per cent more in 2016-2020 compared to 2011-2015 due to higher tax devaluation of 42 per cent as against 32 per cent earlier."
Addressing an election rally in state's Sibsagar yesterday, BJP President Amit Shah targeted the Congress-led state government "responsible" for "people remaining below the poverty line, 42 per cent not receiving clean drinking water, no electricity, no proper facilities for adivasi tea garden workers, increased maternal and child mortality rate, and 19,000 incidents of atrocities against women".
Promising corruption-free government in state,Mr Shah had said, "Gogoi cannot give a government that will help the poor, only BJP can. Assam's people gave him 15 years. But Assam remained where it was or went backwards when the rest of the country progressed."
The BJP is contesting on 91 seats in the 126-member Assembly. The party has given 24 seats to its ally Asom Gana Parishad, while the Bodoland People's Front and two small parties will be contesting on the remaining seats.
The BJP has projected Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal as its chief ministerial candidate.
Assam is among the worst three states across India when it comes to rural unemployment and on the list of the top five states which have failed to give jobs to the youth in cities. According to a report by the industry body ASSOCHAM, over 60 per cent of manufacturing projects announced in Assam in the last 15 years are yet to take off.
