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'Bless the lotus to throw out every infiltrator': Amit Shah urges Assam voters

Union Home Minister Amit Shah pledges to remove all infiltrators from Assam within five years if the BJP is re-elected, highlighting the government's success in land reclamation and contrasting it with past Congress policies

Union Home Minister Amit Shah addresses a gathering during the inauguration of the Jyoti Bishnu Auditorium, in Guwahati, Assam | PTI

Upping Bharatiya Janata Party's illegal infiltration pitch, Union Home Minister Amit Shah said they will get rid of every infiltrator in Assam if they are voted to power in the upcoming assembly polls. Shah asserted the government has reclaimed hundreds of hectares of land from infiltrators.

Addressing an event in Assam, Shah said, "Think of Assam  10 years ago, when there were blockades, bomb blasts. But today, Assam is on its path to progress."

"In the last 10 years, and under the leadership of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma during the past five years, 1.29 lakh bighas of land have been freed from the illegal occupation of infiltrators," the Union minister claimed. Targeting Congress, Shah asked how Assam's culture and language would survive with infiltrators. "Bless the 'Lotus' for another five years, and we will throw out every infiltrator from Assam," Shah asserted.

Inaugurating a 5,000-seat auditorium in Guwahati, Shah urged voters to elect a "government that doesn't allow infiltration" and works for the progress of Assam. The Union minister claimed the BJP-led government is now working for the cultural and economic renaissance of Assam. "For the sake of the vote bank, the Congress encouraged infiltration, which has threatened the identity of Assam today, the BJP leader alleged.