Assam: AIUDF leader questions investment summit's impact amid Modi visit

AIUDF General Secretary Rafiqul Islam offered cautious support for the upcoming Advantage Assam summit while highlighting concerns about the state's persistent unemployment and unfulfilled government promises.

The investment summit, starting Tuesday, aims to showcase Assam's strategic advantages to representatives from 56 countries and major Indian corporations like Adani, Ambani, Tata, and Birla.

"If investment comes here through Advantage Assam, then it is good, and we will not oppose it. We want the development of our state," Islam told ANI. However, he questioned whether the projected Rs 1.2 lakh crore investment was sufficient given the state's needs.

Islam expressed scepticism about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's previous commitments to the region. "Modi has visited Assam many times before this, and when he comes to Assam, he talks about Assam... but they have not done the work they had to do. Now, eleven years have passed. What did he do for the North East or what did he do for Assam?"

The opposition leader particularly criticised Modi's handling of illegal immigration, a longstanding issue in the state. "Before 2014, the Prime Minister had come and said that after the election, we would remove illegal immigrants living here... but later we have seen that foreigners who came here they have laid a red carpet for them," Islam said.

The Advantage Assam summit represents the state government's largest initiative to attract investment and promote industrial development in the region. State officials view the event as crucial for leveraging Assam's geostrategic location and economic potential.