Guwahati, Feb 25 Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday said that without peace in northeast no development is possible and without arms and violence, the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has been fulfilling all demands and requirements.
Addressing an impressive gathering in the hill district of central Assam's Karbi Anglong, Shah said that the Union and Assam government had already successfully convinced hundreds of extremists belonging to nine outlawed outfits to shun violence and just on Tuesday 1,040 more terrorists of five outfits led by wanted terrorist leader Ingti Kathar Songbijit surrendered to the Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal.
"The tribal guerillas have deposited 338 sophisticated arms including AK series rifles, LMGs, rocket launchers and over 11,000 various types of ammunition," the home minister said, ensuring the surrendered militants to fulfil the promises given to them by the Assam government within one year.
"If you want education, health and other sectors to develop then peace is the foremost condition. Development cannot happen at the cost of weapons. AWe have successfully signed agreements with Bodoland based militants, resolving decades old Reang ethnic community problems in Tripura. Bring BJP once again to power in Assam, Karbi Anglong would become the most developed region," Shah said.
While praising the surrendered extremists for their decision to lay down arms, who assembled in the gatherings, the home minister and senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader said : "You have the same rights in India as I am enjoying. Assam would be most developed state if you voted BJP for the second time."
Hitting out at Congress, he said the party (Congress) ruled Assam for so many years but there was no development and when the BJP came to power in Assam in 2017, it has progressed.
Criticising the Congress for "neglecting Assam'', Shah said that the NDA government has given Bharat Ratna award to Bhupen Hazarika, who according to him, took Assamese culture and India's songs across the world.
Detailing many projects worth thousands of crores being implemented or under implementation, the Home Minister said that students of the northeast region need not to go out of the region for their education, now all kinds of education including medical and engineering are available in the region.
Home Minister said that a lot of work has been done by the BJP government in Assam and in the last central budget also, "Modiji has given Rs 53,000 crore special package to Assam". Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, state's Finance, Education and Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma also addressed the gatherings.
Shah earlier in the day spoke in a gathering in Nagaon district's Batadrava Than, where he launched the work of a state-funded Rs 188-crore project for its beautification.The Batadrava Than in central Assam's Nagaon district is the birthplace of social reformer Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, who was a 15th-16th century Assamese saint, scholar, poet, playwright, social-religious reformer and a figure of importance in Assam's cultural and religious history.
( With inputs from IANS )
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