BJP will return to power in Assam with largest mandate: Amit Shah

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on March 15 expressed confidence that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would return to power in Assam with the “largest ever mandate” under the leadership of Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma.

Addressing a youth convention organised by the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), Shah urged voters to give the BJP another mandate and reiterated the party’s stance on illegal immigration. “I am confident that the BJP will again form a government in Assam with the largest ever mandate and power of the youths,” he said.

The remarks came shortly after the Election Commission of India announced that the Assam Assembly elections will be held on April 9, with counting scheduled for May 4.

Assam currently has a 126-member Assembly. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party holds 64 seats, while its allies — the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and United People’s Party Liberal (UPPL) — have nine and seven MLAs respectively. The Bodoland People's Front (BPF) has three members.

Targeting the Indian National Congress, Shah alleged that the party had allowed illegal immigration to flourish. “The Congress gave shelter to infiltrators, but the BJP government is determined to identify each one of them and drive them out of the country,” he said, adding that “every infiltrator will be sent out of India”.

He also criticised the Congress for opposing the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls conducted by the Election Commission in some states. According to Shah, the Congress “legalised, formalised and normalised infiltration”.

“Rahul Babu can rest assured that not only their names will be removed from the electoral rolls, but they will also be driven out,” he said, referring to Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi.

Praising the Assam government’s eviction drives, Shah said Sarma had already cleared around 1.5 lakh bighas of land that had been encroached upon. “The day will come soon when there will not be a single one left,” he added.

Shah also accused the Congress of neglecting the youth during its tenure in the state. “The Congress did nothing for the youth, but its leaders were only concerned about the benefits of their families,” he said.

Contrasting the BJP’s governance model with that of the Congress, Shah said the BJP focused on “development, driving out infiltrators and ensuring that the interests of the children of poor people are taken care of”.

The Union minister further criticised the Congress for staging protests during the AI Summit in New Delhi, claiming the demonstration “defamed the country” at an international platform attended by leaders and corporate executives from several countries.

“Political parties often make mistakes, but they apologise. Rahul Gandhi has crossed all levels of decency,” Shah said, referring to the Congress leader’s defence of the protesters as his “babbar sher”.

Highlighting employment initiatives in Assam, Shah said the state government had conducted a transparent recruitment drive. According to him, 1.65 lakh youths have been given government jobs.

“Before the last elections we had promised one lakh jobs, but Sarma went ahead and gave 1.65 lakh government jobs to the youths in the state,” he said, adding that the process was completed without “a single court case”, which he described as evidence of a “clean and transparent” system.

Shah also pointed to major development projects in the state, including the Rs 27,000 crore semiconductor plant and expansion of institutions such as Indian Institute of Technology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences and Indian Institute of Management, saying these would create more opportunities for young people.