The Congress has “legalised, formalised, and normalised” the infiltration of Bangladeshis in Assam and only the BJP can “make the State free of infiltrators”, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said in Guwahati on Sunday (March 15, 2026).
Addressing the Yuva Shakti Samaroh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Mr. Shah slammed the Congress for turning Assam into a “land of infiltrators” during its rule from 2001 to 2016. He reminded the people of the BJP’s promise ahead of the 2021 polls to rid Assam of infiltrators.
“Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma freed 1.51 lakh bighas of government land encroached by these infiltrators. Elect us for the third time, and we will drive them out, not just from Assam but from the entire country,” Mr. Shah said.
He alleged that Congress leader Rahul Gandhi opposed the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls as the names of infiltrators and illegible voters were being deleted. “This is just the beginning. We will not stop at deleting names. We will drive out each infiltrator,” he said.
The Minister said there should be a drive against people staying illegally in the districts of Barpeta, Bongaigaon, Darrang, Dhubri, Goalpara, Morigaon, and Nagaon. All are Muslim-majority districts.
Mr. Shah said infiltrators were evicted from the Kaziranga National Park and the birthplace of 15th-16th century saint-reformer Srimanta Sankaradeva. “Give us another mandate, and we will reclaim the remaining land currently under the illegal occupation of infiltrators,” he said.
The senior BJP leader slammed the Congress for failing to respect Assam’s art and culture. He said the BJP gave a global touch to the State’s popular folk dances and honoured music maestro Bhupen Hazarika by conferring the Bharat Ratna on him.
He said the BJP-led NDA at the Centre and in Assam ushered in peace by signing agreements with several armed groups over the past 10 years. Re-electing the BJP would make the hard-earned peace last longer, he added.
Earlier, Mr. Shah inaugurated several healthcare facilities in Assam, including the Pragjyotishpur Medical College and Hospital, the Golaghat Cancer Centre, and the Tinsukia Cancer Centre.
Assam votes on April 9 in a single phase.
Published - March 15, 2026 04:59 pm IST
