Guwahati, Feb 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a historic touchdown at the Northeast’s first Emergency Landing Facility in Assam’s Dibrugarh district, and later launched a scathing attack on the Congress at a rally here, accusing the party of ignoring the region and fuelling insurgency during its rule in the state.
He also launched projects worth Rs 5,450 crore during his third visit to the poll-bound Assam in three months.
Modi took off from the Chabua airfield after his arrival and landed at the Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) in Moran on a stretch of National Highway-37.
The PM, after inaugurating the ELF, said, “It is a matter of immense pride that the Northeast gets an Emergency Landing Facility.”
”From a strategic point of view and during times of natural disasters, this facility is of great importance,” Modi said on X.
The Rs 100-crore ELF, a 4.2-km reinforced stretch on the Moran bypass, will act as a strategic and multi-functional runway for IAF fighter jets and transport aircraft, strengthening defence, logistics and disaster response.
During his day-long Assam visit, the Prime Minister, while addressing a public meeting here that also included BJP workers, launched an all-out attack on the Congress, accusing it of neglecting the Northeast and promoting insurgency in Assam during its rule.
He alleged that the Congress always endangered the nation’s security, with fear and insecurity prevailing during its tenure in Assam.
”The Congress indulged in polarisation and vote bank politics, and took decisions that promoted these,” he said.
“The partition of the country took place due to the Muslim League, but now there is ‘MMC’ – Maoist, Muslim League, Congress – and people should be aware of their intentions,” Modi said.
The PM accused the Congress of protecting infiltrators, and asserted that the BJP is “committed to ending illegal immigration, and so the next five years are very important for the state”.
He also claimed that the Congress, being out of power in Assam for 10 years, is “more dangerous than when it was in power, and this is evident from the venomous statements made by its leaders”.
For seven decades, the Congress built only three bridges over the Brahmaputra river, but the BJP government constructed five bridges in 10 years, he asserted.
The PM paid tributes to the bravehearts who were martyred in Pulwama in 2019, and asserted that the world has seen how the government responded to the terror attack.
The country’s response was also witnessed during Operation Sindoor following the terror attack in Pahalgam last year, he said.
”The Congress did nothing to protect the nation’s security but gave only statements and indulged in scams while buying weapons,” Modi alleged.
The PM said all-round development is taking place in Assam due to the efforts of the BJP government.
”The BJP is committed to ensuring the speedy development of Assam and also protecting its identity and traditions. It is, therefore, very important that the double-engine BJP government returns to power in the state,” Modi said.
The prime minister said he had the firm belief that the BJP will secure victory by a huge margin in the 2026 Assam assembly polls, but it is “not just about winning elections alone, we must win the hearts and minds of the people”.
The credit for BJP’s success goes only to party workers as ”we believe in organisational strength: My biggest qualification and source of pride is that Narendra Modi is a BJP party worker,” he said.
”Party workers are the oxygen of the BJP, and I urge them to reach out to the people of the state not only before the elections but even after the next government is formed,” Modi said.
He assured the people that he will ”return their love for BJP with interest through development”.
Earlier, the PM inaugurated the Rs 3,030 crore Kumar Bhaskar Varma Bridge, connecting Guwahati and North Guwahati, and walked on the bridge.
He also inaugurated the temporary campus of the IIM, Guwahati, estimated to be worth Rs 555 crore and a Rs 348 crore AI-enabled hyperscale data centre from the nearby Lachit Ghat.
The PM flagged off 225 electric buses under the PM-eBus Sewa Scheme, which included 100 for Guwahati, 50 for Nagpur, 50 for Bhavnagar and 25 for Chandigarh.
Modi witnessed an aerial show, featuring IAF’s fighter jets and transport helicopters, which are engaged for emergencies and responses, at the ELF, with IAF pilots displaying precision take-off and landing. (PTI)
