‘Modi has become slave to America, Himanta his slave’: Priyanka Gandhi calls BJP rule ‘double-slavery’ in Assam

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra accused the BJP of turning Assam into a state of subjugation on April 1, telling a rally in Nazira that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had become a "slave to America" and that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma was, in turn, Modi's slave.

"They have run a government of double-slavery," she told the crowd, taking direct aim at the BJP's much-touted "double-engine government" pitch. "Modi ji has become a slave to America, and because of his policies today, the entire country is in crisis. And Hemanta ji is Modi ji's slave."

She went further, warning that this chain of dependence was designed to keep Assam's people suppressed. "On top of that, they want this government of double-slavery to make the people of this beautiful and self-respecting state slaves," she said.

The Congress MP used the rally to draw a sharp contrast between what she described as a government driven by self-interest and one that would serve ordinary people. "They only work for you when they see some benefit in it for themselves," she said. "Even today, we want a government in Assam which doesn't scare you, doesn't threaten you, but serves you, works honestly for you, advances and strengthens your culture and your civilisation."

Turning to welfare promises, Gandhi outlined a series of guarantees should Congress come to power. Women seeking to start a small business would receive Rs 50,000, she said, with funds transferred directly to bank accounts. She also promised health insurance cover of up to Rs 25 lakh. "The government will provide free treatment up to Rs 25 lakh for whatever disease you have. Our government has already shown this in Rajasthan," she added.

One of the more striking pledges of the evening concerned the late singer Zubeen Garg, who died in controversial circumstances that remain a source of public anger in Assam. Gandhi promised that a Congress government would deliver justice within its first 100 days. She also announced that the 10 lakh holders of temporary land deeds — largely indigenous communities — would receive permanent titles under a Congress administration.

On corruption, she was blunt: "The biggest thing that happens due to corruption is that your money is snatched away. This money is meant to be used for you — schools, hospitals, roads, taps — but instead it is being used to build palaces and enrich families."

She closed with an appeal to Assamese pride, urging voters to "raise your heads, puff out your chests" and back a new government.

Elsewhere in the state on the same day, Prime Minister Modi held rallies in Biswanath and Gogamukh, where he accused Congress of being "the root cause" of corruption in independent India and of having compromised Assamese identity for the sake of power. He expressed confidence of securing a third consecutive term for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance, and took an indirect swipe at Rahul Gandhi, predicting "a century of defeats for Congress' self-proclaimed prince."

Assam's 126 assembly constituencies will vote in a single phase on April 9, with results due on May 4. The BJP is contesting alongside the Asom Gana Parishad and the Bodoland People's Front as the NDA alliance seeks an unprecedented hat-trick, while Congress is making its most concerted bid to return to power in the state in over two decades.