Congress hits back at PM Modi over Assam infiltration charge, holds Centre responsible for border failures

The political war of words over illegal infiltration in Assam escalated sharply on Monday, January 19 as senior Congress leader Udit Raj launched a fierce counterattack on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accusing the BJP-led Centre of deflecting responsibility and failing to secure India’s borders despite being in power for more than a decade.

Reacting strongly to the Prime Minister’s remarks alleging that the Congress allowed infiltration in Assam for political gains, Udit Raj asserted that border security has remained under the direct control of the Union government since 2014, making the BJP solely accountable for any influx of infiltrators.

Speaking to ANI, the Congress leader questioned the Centre’s narrative and challenged the Prime Minister to compare deportation figures from the UPA and NDA eras. “If you compare the number of people sent abroad between 2004 and 2013 and from 2014 till now, everything will become clear. During Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s tenure, the record speaks for itself,” Raj said. He further alleged that infiltration has continued under the present regime, adding, “If they don’t come on their own, it seems people from the Modi government bring them in.”

Holding the Centre directly responsible, Raj said that the prolonged tenure of the Modi government weakens its claims against the Opposition. “Prime Minister Modi has been in office for so long, and border security is under his control. How did infiltrators manage to enter the country, and how are they still staying here?” he asked.

Referring to recent electoral exercises, Raj claimed that the presence of infiltrators was evident during elections in Jharkhand, Delhi and Bihar. He also questioned the effectiveness of the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) process, stating that it was intended to identify and remove infiltrators but had failed to deliver results.

Escalating his attack, the Congress leader launched a personal critique of the Prime Minister, saying he was “ashamed” that the country had elected a leader who, according to him, relies on misinformation. “It is unfortunate that our country has a Prime Minister whose only job is to lie,” Raj said, reiterating his accusation.