Daijiworld Media Network - Guwahati
Guwahati, Jan 18: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday sharpened his criticism of the Congress, asserting that the party has steadily lost the confidence of the Indian electorate due to what he described as a lack of vision and commitment to development.
Speaking at the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor in Assam, the Prime Minister said recent election outcomes reflected a clear public verdict against Congress. Referring to municipal polls in Maharashtra, he remarked that the party, which once dominated the state’s politics, had faced a decisive rejection from voters. According to him, people no longer support a party that, in his words, offers no concrete roadmap for progress.
PM Modi said public faith in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strengthened significantly over the past year and a half. Citing Bihar as an example, he noted that despite decades of political experience in the state, voters once again placed their trust in the BJP in the recent Assembly elections. He also highlighted the party’s performance in Kerala’s local body polls, pointing out that Thiruvananthapuram now has a BJP mayor, which he described as a sign of growing acceptance of the party’s governance model across regions.
Emphasising the BJP’s development philosophy, the Prime Minister said citizens want transparent and effective governance, which his party aims to deliver. He underlined that the BJP’s approach balances economic growth with the preservation of India’s cultural and environmental heritage. The Kaziranga elevated corridor project, with an estimated investment of around Rs 6,000 crore, he said, is an example of how infrastructure development can coexist with ecological protection while also boosting the local economy.
Taking a swipe at Congress over wildlife conservation, PM Modi alleged that incidents of rhino poaching had increased during its tenure in Assam. He said the BJP government had made the protection of the one-horned rhinoceros a priority and claimed that the state achieved zero rhino poaching in 2025, calling it a major success in conservation efforts.
The Prime Minister also criticised the Congress on the issue of infiltration, accusing it of supporting illegal encroachments on land belonging to indigenous communities. He said the BJP’s “double-engine” government at the Centre and in the state was committed to addressing the issue and safeguarding the rights of local people.
Referring again to Bihar, PM Modi said the Congress had suffered a resounding defeat in the state’s last Assembly elections and predicted a similar outcome for the party in the upcoming Assam Assembly polls.
During the event, the Prime Minister performed the Bhoomi Pujan for the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor Project, an infrastructure initiative valued at over Rs 6,950 crore. The 86-km project, officially part of the four-laning of the Kaliabor–Numaligarh section of National Highway-715, has been designed with environmental sensitivity in mind. It features a 35-km elevated wildlife corridor through Kaziranga National Park, 21 km of bypasses and 30 km of highway widening.
Once completed, the project is expected to significantly improve connectivity in Nagaon, Karbi Anglong and Golaghat districts, while facilitating safe wildlife movement and reducing human-animal conflict.
On the occasion, PM Modi also flagged off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains — Guwahati (Kamakhya)–Rohtak and Dibrugarh–Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) — further strengthening rail links between the Northeast and northern parts of the country.