GUWAHATI :  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday mounted a strong attack on the Congress, accusing it of allowing large-scale infiltration in Assam during its decades in power and warning that the party would face a “Bihar-like reply” from voters in the state.

Addressing a public gathering in Kaliabor after laying the foundation stone of the ?6,957-crore Kaziranga Elevated Corridor and virtually flagging off two Amrit Bharat trains, the Prime Minister alleged that unchecked infiltration under Congress rule had harmed Assam’s culture, ecology and employment opportunities.

“Infiltration kept increasing during the Congress regime. Illegal occupants encroached upon forests, wildlife corridors and traditional institutions. This has disturbed the indigenous population and snatched jobs from the youth. It is a grave threat not just to Assam, but to the nation,” Modi said.

He further claimed that the Congress and its allies had protected illegal immigrants for electoral gains. “I am confident that Congress will get a fitting answer from Assam, just as it did in Bihar,” the Prime Minister said, signalling an electoral backlash against the party.

Modi underscored that Assam’s development was crucial to the growth of the Northeast and, by extension, the country. Pointing to recent election results, he said voters across India were increasingly choosing good governance, development and a long-term vision over what he termed the Congress’s “negative politics”.

Referring to civic polls in Maharashtra and the BJP’s recent electoral gains in Kerala, including the election of a party mayor, Modi said the BJP had emerged as the “first choice” of voters nationwide. “The country has lost faith in Congress because it has no agenda for progress,” he said, adding that the BJP government was committed to safeguarding Assam’s identity and culture by evicting infiltrators who had encroached on land.

On the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor project, the Prime Minister said the initiative would ensure safe passage for wildlife during floods while protecting the region’s fragile ecosystem. He also highlighted the state’s conservation efforts, claiming that not a single rhino was lost to poaching in Kaziranga National Park in 2025. “India has shown the world that ecology and economy can move forward together,” he said.

Earlier, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma launched a sharp attack on state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, accusing him of undermining Assam’s aspirations. Sarma’s remarks came a day after Gogoi criticised the Kaziranga corridor project, suggesting that the funds could have been better spent on river embankments to mitigate recurring floods.

“You may continue to protest, but Assam has decided to dream big and touch the sky. No Assamese will surrender before a Pakistani agent or unknown people,” Sarma said.

The Chief Minister said the state government had evicted illegal occupants to establish Sankardeva’s Abhibav Kshetra at Batadrava and had cleared encroachments in Kaziranga to facilitate the elevated corridor. These steps, he asserted, were essential for both cultural preservation and sustainable development.

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