BJP’s promise to make country free of infiltrators stands: Amit Shah
Guwahati: Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said the BJP will keep its promise to make the country free of infiltrators.
Addressing a programme in Guwahati on the birth centenary of Assam’s first non-Congress CM Golap Borbora, he said the high-power demography mission, announced by PM Narendra Modi on Independence Day, is a definitive step towards studying the demographic pattern of the country and identifying infiltrators.
“We had made a promise to Assam, but we have not been able to fulfil it in 10 years. But we will keep our promise and make Assam and the entire country free of illegal foreigners,” he said.
“I am among those people who believe that not a single infiltrator should stay in our country,” he added.
Shah recounted how Borbora, who led a Janata Party government from March 1978 to September 1979 in the state, had undertaken a drive to cleanse the voters’ list when by-elections were necessitated for the Mangaldai Lok Sabha seat.
“Even in the absence of computerised electoral rolls, Borbora’s government detected names of 36,780 illegal foreigners, and this cleansing of the voters’ list can be deemed as the origin of the Assam Agitation,” he said.
“The Election Commission is cleansing the voters’ list through the SIR now, but some parties are opposing it. It shows the moral degradation in today’s politics,” he said.
Shah claimed that if Borbora was alive, he would have come out in protest against these parties that are opposing the SIR exercise.
He lauded the state government for its actions against “infiltrators”, especially evicting encroachment.
He also appreciated CM Himanta Biswa Sarma and his government for honouring Borbora, a staunch socialist leader who had no links with the BJP.
Shah said it was a trait of the Modi government to recognise contributions of all.
“Sardar Patel’s contributions were forgotten until PM Modi built his statue in Gujarat. Netaji did not have a memorial in Delhi before a statue was installed at Kartavya Path,” he said.
He said that though Borbora’s term was short, he left an indelible mark as the first non-Congress CM of the state.
“Free education till class 10, waiver of ‘lagaan’ for up to 10 bigha of land, opening of passport office in Guwahati, and setting up of banking and railway recruitment boards in the state are among the notable decisions of his government,” he said.
