In Guwahati, Modi emphasises on BJP’s focus on developing Hindu religious sites

Though he was supposed to address a political rally in Mizoram on October 30, 2023, in the run-up to the Assembly elections there, the visit was cancelled a few days before it was scheduled. The Congress had alleged that the visit was called off because Modi had not visited Manipur even once since the violence broke out.

During an event in Guwahati on Sunday afternoon, Modi inaugurated multiple infrastructure projects in the state, estimated to cost over Rs 11,000 crore. These included the Kamakhya temple corridor, which is supposed to be on the lines of the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor in Varanasi.

At the event Modi said, “After the Kashi corridor was made, a record number of devotees reached there. (A total of) 8.5 crore people went to Kashi last year…More than 19 lakh people went on pilgrimage to Kedar Dham. In Ayodhya, the Pran Pratishtha (of Ram Lalla) was done just a few days ago. In 12 days, more than 24 lakh people have had a darshan. After the Maa Kamakhya Divyalok Pariyojana is made, we will see a similar sight here.”

“When pilgrims and devotees come, even the poorest earn, be it rickshaw wallas, taxi drivers, hotel operators, vendors…That’s why in this year’s (Interim) Budget we have given a lot of weightage to tourism…In Assam and NE, there is a lot of potential for this. That is why the BJP government is giving a lot of emphasis to development here,” he said.

“Our pilgrimage sites, our temples, our religious places are not just sites for darshan. They are symbols of our thousands of years of civilization. Bharat has remained strong even after facing every difficulty…After Independence, those who ran governments in this country for long, even they did not realise the importance of the sacred places of worship. For their political benefit, they had started a trend of being ashamed of their own culture,” he said.

In his address, he claimed that the BJP governments have made strides in bringing peace in the Northeast, but he abstained from mentioning Manipur in his speech.

“Today, the Northeast believes in Modi ki Guarantee. If you see Assam, areas which were strife-torn are now witnessing peace. Border disputes between states are being resolved. After the formation of the BJP government, more than 10 big peace settlements have been arrived at. In the past few years, thousands of youths have chosen the path of development over that of violence…More than 7,000 youths of Assam have put down arms…AFSPA (Armed Forces Special Powers Act) has been removed from many districts,” he said.

The other projects inaugurated on Sunday include the upgrade of Guwahati’s Nehru Stadium, various road projects, foundation stone laying for upgrading facilities at Guwahati Medical College and Hospital and of Karimganj Medical College and Hospital.