Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma addresses during an election campaign rally ahead of the Lok Sabha polls, in Silchar, on Wednesday
Credit: PTI Photo
Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday remarked that the remaining members of the Congress would also join the BJP if their leader, Rahul Gandhi, comes to the state for campaigning.
"I want Rahul Gandhi to come and campaign in the state so that those still left in Congress will also join BJP," the chief minister said, referring to the recent trend of several leaders and members of the grand old party joining the saffron party.
Rahul came to Assam once (referring to the Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra in January) and after that so many Congress members joined the BJP, Sarma said.
''If he comes again, I will not have to make any effort and many more will join us'', he said.
"Congress is like an old note now which is of no use and there can be no comparison between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi," he said at a public rally in Silchar.
If people visit Rajiv Bhavan (state Congress headquarters) in Guwahati, they ''will be surprised to see that there is nobody there and it appears that there is curfew, a self-imposed curfew''.
The people of the entire country are with the Prime Minister and ''we will have to ensure the win of the BJP candidates from Barak Valley as everybody wants Modi to become PM for the third successive term''.
''If Modi becomes the Prime Minister, India will become a Vishwaguru and nobody has any doubt on this'', he added.
The opposition has no issue and ''so I don't want to talk about them. It is Modi's guarantee along with some small guarantees of mine that will ensure Assam's development so that we live in peace, harmony and become a leading state in the country''.
Modi's guarantee will be there in the manifesto and 'Mama' (as Sarma is referred to by youngsters in the state) will ''add some small warranty to it in Assam'', he said.
The chief minister assured the people of Barak Valley that the mini secretariat in Silchar and East-West corridor via Haflong will be completed by 2026, a large-scale industry will be set up at the defunct Cachar Paper Mill, the medical college at Ramkrishnanagar will be completed in three years and work for the new agriculture university at Patharkandi will also begin soon.
The CM was on a day-long visit to the two Barak Valley constituencies of Silchar (SC) and Karimganj for the filing of nominations by the BJP candidates, Parimal Suklabaidya and Kripanath Mallah, respectively.