Shah Accuses Congress of Settling Infiltrators in Assam

Nagaon, Dec 30: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday blamed previous Congress governments in Assam for facilitating the settlement of illegal infiltrators in the state, asserting that the BJP has already expelled a significant number over the past decade and will remove all remaining infiltrators in the next five years.

Shah made the remarks while inaugurating the Srimanta Sankardeva Abirbhav Kshetra at Batadrava Than, the birthplace of the 15th-century saint and reformer Srimanta Sankardeva, in Nagaon district.

Attacking the Congress, Shah said the party had introduced the Illegal (Migrants) Determination by Tribunal (IMDT) Act in 1983 to legally settle illegal immigrants and consolidate its vote bank in Assam. He claimed the BJP government, under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, acted decisively against infiltrators and freed over one lakh bighas of illegally encroached land in the past five years.

“The BJP government is committed to throwing out all ghuspethia (infiltrators) not only from Assam but across the country,” Shah said, adding that Congress’ vote bank politics had posed a serious threat to national security.

Shah also criticised former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh, noting that during his tenure he visited Assam only seven times, and twice solely to cast his vote for Rajya Sabha elections.

Highlighting development achievements under the BJP, Shah described the past 11 years as the ‘Golden Era’ of Assam’s progress. He said peace accords—including the Bodo, Karbi, Adivasi, and ULFA accords—were fully implemented, with 92 per cent compliance so far, and promised 100 per cent adherence if the BJP returned to power.

He further mentioned cultural initiatives, including bringing the 16th-century Vrindavani Vastra textiles designed by Srimanta Sankardeva to Assam for exhibition, as part of the government’s focus on preserving Assam’s heritage.