Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday turned inclement weather into an opportunity for virtual outreach, dedicating and laying foundations for development projects worth over ₹24,250 crore in poll-bound Assam, his fourth visit to the state in as many months.
Heavy rain in Kokrajhar compelled cancellation of the Prime Minister’s physical programme in the Bodoland Territorial Region. From Guwahati, the Prime Minister addressed a large gathering via video conference, performing bhoomi pujan for Assam Mala 3.0, a ₹3,200-crore road scheme that will build more than 900 km of new arteries linking national highways with rural roads.
He also laid the foundation for a Periodic Overhauling Workshop at Bashbari and six road projects in the Bodoland Territorial Council, four flyovers and two bridges, at a cost of ₹1,100 crore.
Three new train services were flagged off: the Kamakhya-Charlapalli Amrit Bharat Express, Guwahati-New Jalpaiguri Express and Narangi-Agartala Express.
In a pointed address, PM Modi contrasted the present tranquillity with the region’s turbulent past. “The hills of Bodoland echoed for decades with the sounds of guns and bomb blasts, but now those days are over, and it is moving ahead on the path of peace and development,” he declared.
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Accusing the Congress of signing peace accords “just for show and for selfish interests”, he alleged the party had “handed over vast tracts of tribal land to infiltrators”, disrupting demography in districts such as Dhubri, Goalpara and Kokrajhar. “The Congress has always extended its support to infiltrators,” he said, urging voters to “punish the Congress in the upcoming elections and send a clear message that there is no place for infiltrators in this country”.
Later in the evening in Guwahati, the Prime Minister dedicated projects worth ₹19,680 crore, including the Kopili Hydro-Electric Project (₹2,300 crore), Phase-1 of the North East Gas Grid, capacity expansion of the Numaligarh-Siliguri petroleum pipeline, and multiple railway electrification stretches.
He laid foundations for the Furkating-Tinsukia rail doubling, cruise terminals at Bishwanath Ghat and Neamati, and inaugurated the PM Ekta Mall, a hub for One District One Product and GI-tagged goods.
A landmark social initiative marked the day: the launch of land patta distribution to tea-garden workers. The first phase covers 106 gardens across 20 districts, granting homestead rights to a community that has lived in the state for nearly 200 years without formal ownership. PM Modi also released the 22nd instalment of the PM-KISAN scheme, transferring ₹2,000 directly to over 9.3 crore farmers nationwide.
The initiatives, part of a two-day visit, will continue in Silchar on Saturday with further projects including the Kopili Hydro-Electric expansion and the Silchar-Shillong-Guwahati Expressway foundation. Officials described the day’s events as a blend of accelerated infrastructure delivery and long-pending social justice for Assam’s indigenous and tea-tribe communities.
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