NEW DELHI, Sept 15: The Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said “every infiltrator” has to go as people in Bihar, West Bengal and Assam are “worried about the safety and security of their sisters and daughters.”
He was addressing a public meeting in Purnea district in the border region of Bihar, where infiltration from neighbouring Bangladesh is said to have been a major issue for long and there is a sizeable Muslim population.
In his seventh visit to the poll-bound State since January, the PM inaugurated and laid foundation stone for agriculture, energy, railways, housing, and women empowerment projects worth over ₹36,000 crore for Purnea and also inaugurated the new terminal building for the long-pending Purnea airport where flight services started on Monday.
Doubling down on the ‘infiltrator’ issue, he said, “I want to tell this today from the land of Purnea that every infiltrator has to go (from the country); but they (the Congress and the Rashtriya Janata Dal) have been the protectors of them for long; but to get them out (of the country) is the responsibility of the NDA.” He added, “In India, only the law of the land will prevail… the people of Bihar, Bengal, Assam are worried about the security and safety of their sisters, daughters… we’ll get the infiltrators out.”
The PM further said, “The leaders who protect the infiltrators should listen loud and clear that we will continue to send them out from here. We have announced the formation of a demographic Commission.”
The PM said the NDA government was continuously working for the development of Bihar. Targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in a veiled reference, he said, “We’ve set up a board for makhana (foxnut) here; but I must say that “those who are making rounds these days in the area must not have heard even the name of Makhana before.” He was referring to Mr Gandhi, who recently had undertaken his party’s 14-day “Voter Adhikar Yatra” in about 24 districts of Bihar, covering 1,300 km.
The Seemanchal area of northeast Bihar is a major makhana production hub. “The farmers in the area will benefit from this,” he said of the board for makhana. “Until every poor of the country gets a pucca house, Modi will not stop… four crore pucca houses have already been distributed to the poor people in the country,” he said.
“They (Congress-RJD) exploited and betrayed Bihar and neglected Seemanchal but the NDA government worked for the welfare, growth and development of the State, which they could not digest,” Mr Modi said. “For the country’s development, Bihar’s development is important, and for Bihar’s development, the development of Seemanchal areas such as Purnea is important,” he said.
“The NDA government is not only linking this area with air connectivity but also with hi-tech railway network,” the PM said. He also said “the new GST regime will be effective from September 22 and it will benefit the women as well.”
During his previous trips, the PM had visited Gaya, Motihari, Siwan, Rohtas, Madhubani and Bhagalpur to address public meetings, inaugurate several projects and lay foundation stone for many since January. Assembly elections for the State are due in October-November.
(Manas Dasgupta)
