Union Home Minister Amit Shah, during his address at Kalakhetra today, said that BJP is strengthening its base in the North East region.
Shah said, "BJP is strengthening its base in North East. Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership has been accepted by everyone," he said.
This was his speech at a public event in Assam after victory in the assembly elections.
In his address, Shah also said that the formation of the BJP government in Assam for the second time means that Assam has permanently rejected terrorism, riots and is moving towards development.
Lauding the efforts of former and current Assam Chief Ministers, Shah said, "For the last five years, the way the duo of former Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and current Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has run the government, people of Assam have preferred the path of development. Himanta Biswa Sarma is the new CM as he preferred the path of development. I congratulate the Assam Ministers, CM Sarma as they mark BJP's second consecutive innings in state."
He also highlighted the central government's priorities towards the north-eastern region citing the newly inducted Union ministers in the Cabinet from North East.
"Since independence, not once have five ministers from North East been selected in Cabinet. This was done for first time in PM Modi's Cabinet. This shows where North East stands in BJP and PM Modi's priorities. We want to increase North East's contribution in development," he said.
"PM Modi has started a new development road in North East. He has visited the region 35 times in 7 years! No other PM has travelled to the region so many times," he added.
Appreciating Assam's heritage and culture, Shah said, "BJP wants to protect and preserve Assam's language, its heritage, and its culture. BJP believes that the languages, dialects, cuisines, and other such traits are India's jewels and we need to preserve them."
"Under PM Modi, the Bodoland Agreement was done. We have already met 90 percent of the conditions of the agreement," Shah said.
"We've already given land in 9 areas out of the 14 demanded under the Bru-Reang Agreement, and before 2022, 35,000 Bru families will get land to live, food grains, pension and respect as Indian citizens," Shah further said.
Shah, who is on a 2-day visit in Meghalaya and Assam, launched an Assam Rifles' Green Sohra Plantation Drive in Shillong earlier today. He also laid the foundation stone of the Tamulpur Medical College before visiting the Kamakhya temple in Guwahati.
At the Gauhati Medical College Hospital, he inaugurated the Radio Therapy Block of State Cancer Institute. He also dedicated a newly installed state-of-the-art Linear Accelerator machine at the centre to people of Assam.
