GUWAHATI: Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday said Congress leader Rahul Gandhi was synonymous with “tourism” even as he said the BJP would bring in laws against “love jihad” and “land jihad”.
“Modiji (PM Narendra Modi) is synonymous with development and public service; Rahul Gandhi is synonymous with tourism as he comes to Assam for two-three days and then is not seen for five years. Maulana Badruddin Ajmal is synonymous with infiltration. You have to decide if you will go with development or infiltration,” Shah said addressing a crowd at a rally in Assam’s Kamalpur.
Stating that Ahom general Lachit Borphukan had kept the Mughals away from Assam by making many sacrifices, he asked if the Gandhi scion could protect the state.
“Rahul Gandhi comes to Assam as a tourist. He says Badruddin Ajmal is Assam’s identity. It’s not Ajmal but (medieval saint-reformer) Srimanta Sankardeva, (his disciple) Madhavdeva and Lachit Borphukan are Assam’s identity,” Shah said.
Ajmal is an MP and chief of minority-based All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF). The Congress and the AIUDF are components of a ten-party grand alliance of Opposition. It was formed to oust the BJP from power.
Shah asked Gandhi to recall former Congress Chief Minister the late Tarun Gogoi’s “who is Badruddin Ajmal statement”. Gogoi was always averse to an alliance with the AIUDF.
“No matter how hard the Congress works, we will not allow Ajmal to become Assam’s identity. Tell me, if you want infiltration to stop or not. If the Ajmal government is installed, can infiltration be thwarted?” Shah asked the crowd.
Reading out from the BJP’s election manifesto, he said the party would bring in laws against love jihad and land jihad. Land jihad refers to land-grabbing by the immigrants. The BJP says it has freed the land of a number of satras (Vaishnavite prayer centres) in the state from illegal occupation by the “infiltrators”.
Shah promised that the BJP would make Assam “infiltrators-free” if voted to power.
“Five years ago, we had promised to make Assam agitation-free. If we get the mandate of people for another five years, we will make Assam infiltrators-free,” he asserted addressing a rally in Jagiroad.