India-B'desh borders to be sealed to check infiltration: PM Modi

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Wednesday that India-Bangladesh borders would be sealed to check infiltration, as he accused the Congress of aligning with the forces which are patronising the infiltrators.

Addressing an election rally at Bihpuria under Lakhimpur district in eastern Assam, the Prime Minister said that India-Bangladesh borders with western Assam's Dhubri have been sealed and works are going on at a fast pace to seal the remaining patches of the international borders with Bangladesh.

Five Indian states -- West Bengal (2,216 km), Tripura (856 km), Meghalaya (443 km), Mizoram (318 km) and Assam ( 263 km) -- share 4,096 km borders with Bangladesh.

Without naming the Congress' electoral ally, the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), Modi said that in order to protect its vote bank, the Congress is ready to join hands with any forces and in Assam it forged an alliance with a party that is patronising the infiltrators.

"Congress has no leaders, policy or ideology. The party forged alliance with the Left parties in Assam and West Bengal, but it is fighting against them in Kerala," the Prime Minister said.

Modi also said that the Congress did nothing for the lakhs of tea garden workers when it was in power in Assam.

"In five years, the BJP government has increased the daily wage of tea garden workers twice to over Rs 200. In this year's Budget, a Rs 1,000 crore package was announced for the welfare of lakhs of tea garden workers," the Prime Minister said.

Appreciating BJP's 'Sankalp Patra' for the upcoming Assam elections, Modi said the manifesto is the roadmap to further develop the state.

BJP President J.P. Nadda had on Tuesday released the party's manifesto, focusing on flood management, protection and development of the Assamese culture, empowerment of youth and women, correction of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) and checking infiltration.

Modi said that despite being in power in Assam for 15 years (2001-2016), the Congress did nothing to protect and promote the Assamese traditions and culture, instead it backed the poachers involved in killing the state's famed one-horn rhinos.

"In 70 years, 13,000 km rural roads were constructed in Assam, but the BJP government built 15,000 km of rural roads in the state in just five years. Efforts are also on to market Assam's crops outside the state, including organic crops," the Prime Minister said.

Accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, the Prime Minister's rally in Bihpuria was his fourth public meeting in six days in the poll-bound state.

Later on Wednesday, Modi is scheduled to address another rally in the Sipajhar Darrang district.

The Prime Minister would visit the BJP-ruled state three more times till April 3 to address several election rallies.

The 126-member Assam Assembly will go the polls in three phases on March 27 (47 seats), April 1 (39 seats) and April 6 (40 seats). The results will be declared on May 2.

--IANS

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