Sivasagar (Assam), Feb 14: Accusing the BJP and RSS of dividing Assam, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday said that his party will protect every principle of the Assam Accord and will never implement the Citizenship (Amendment) Act if voted to power in the state.
Addressing his first public rally in Assam ahead of the assembly elections due in March-April, Gandhi said that the state needs its "own chief minister" who will listen to the voice of the people and not one who listens only to Nagpur and Delhi.
"The Assam Accord has brought peace and it is the protector of the state. I and my party workers will protect each principle of the Accord. There will not be a single deviation from it," he said.
Gandhi said illegal immigration is an issue in Assam and exuded confidence that the people of the state have the capability to resolve the issue through dialogue.
Alleging that BJP and RSS are trying to divide the state on the issue of Assam Accord, he said, "If Assam is divided, then Prime Minister Narendra Modi or Union Home Minister Amit Shah will not be affected, but the people of Assam and the rest of India will be affected."
Talking about the controversial CAA, the senior Congress leader said that if his party comes to power in the state, the law will not be implemented under any circumstance.
All party leaders, including Gandhi, were seen wearing 'Gamocha' (Assamese scarf), where symbolically the CAA word was crossed, giving a message against the controversial law.
Gandhi said Assam needs a chief minister from their "own people" who will listen to their issues and try to resolve them.
"Remote control can operate a TV but not a CM. The current CM listens to Nagpur and Delhi. If Assam gets a CM like this again, it will not benefit the people. The youths need a CM who will give jobs to them," he said.
Taking a dig at the prime minister, the Union home minister and "businessmen close to them", Gandhi said, "I have devised a new slogan for Assam -- Hum do, humare do; Assam ke liye humare aur do, aur sab kuch loot lo."
He alleged that natural resources and PSUs in the state are being "sold off" to two leading businessmen of the country.
Gandhi also accused the Modi government of "looting" public money during the COVID-19 pandemic and waiving huge amounts of loans of his "two businessmen friends".
He said that the Congress government under the leadership of former chief minister Tarun Gogoi had brought peace to Assam by ending the era of violence.
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Nagarkurnool (Telangana) (PTI): The search operation to locate the seven persons trapped inside the partially collapsed SLBC tunnel continued for the 25th day on Tuesday.
Personnel from the NDRF, SDRF, state-run miner Singareni Collieries, rat miners, and others intensified the search efforts using the necessary equipment, officials said.
The teams conducted search operations at the 'D1' and 'D2' points, which were identified as possible locations of human presence.
On Monday, cadaver dogs inspected the 'D1' and 'D2' spots.
Rescue personnel continued working to remove parts of the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM), which were obstructing the search operation. The excavation process was accelerated with the help of personnel and an excavator, while de-watering efforts continued simultaneously.
The body of Gurpreet Singh, a TBM operator, was recovered on March 9 and handed over to his family in Punjab. Seven others remain trapped inside the tunnel.
A total of eight individuals—including engineers and labourers—were trapped in the SLBC project tunnel when a portion of it collapsed on February 22.