Leader of Opposition in the Assam Legislative Assembly and senior Congress leader Debabrata Saikia reacted sharply to the Prime Minister’s remarks during his visit to the state.
Saikia said that he learned that the Prime Minister’s visit was described as non-political. However, he said that the speech delivered at the inauguration of the Adani-run airport and other programmes did not match with that claim. Saikia said that the event became political when the Prime Minister accused the Congress of weakening the identity of the Assamese people.
Addressing reporters in Guwahati, Saikia said that during public meetings held by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, both Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Prime Minister Modi repeatedly raised the issue of expelling foreigners from the state. He said that official records from earlier years show that Congress governments had taken steps to detect and deport illegal foreigners. 
Saikia said that after the National Democratic Alliance government came to power, they had promised to protect the “Jati, Mati, and Beti” of Assam. He said that available statistics do not show progress in fulfilling those commitments.
The Congress leader alleged that the BJP leadership is influencing citizens by spreading false messages and misleading the public through speeches. According to him, there is a gap between the public statements made by BJP leaders and the actions taken on the ground.
Saikia said that the ruling party creates narratives that sound attractive before elections but do not translate into real results. He added that this trend is unfortunate and disappointing for the people of Assam.
