BJP has become the first choice of people, Congress lost nation’s trust: Modi

GUWAHATI:  undercoat government minister Narendra Modi on lord's day said the Bharatiya Janata company (BJP) has suit the first choice of voters in the country, citing the party’s recent victories in elections held to the Bihar assembly and the municipal bodies in Maharashtra and Kerala.“Today, the BJP has become the first choice of people all over the country. Over the past one to one-and-a-half years, the nation’s faith in the BJP has been steadily increasing. In the recent Bihar polls, despite being in power for 20 years, the public gave the BJP a record number of votes and seats. Two days ago, the results of the municipal polls of Maharashtra were declared. In Mumbai, which is one of the largest municipal corporations in the world, the public there has given the BJP a record mandate,” PM Modi said at Kaliabor in Assam at an event to lay the foundation stone of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor Project (4-laning of Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715), worth over ₹6,950 Crore. GUWAHATI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has become the first choice of voters in the country, citing the party’s recent victories in elections held to the Bihar assembly and the municipal bodies in Maharashtra and Kerala.“Today, the BJP has become the first choice of people all over the country. Over the past one to one-and-a-half years, the nation’s faith in the BJP has been steadily increasing. In the recent Bihar polls, despite being in power for 20 years, the public gave the BJP a record number of votes and seats. Two days ago, the results of the municipal polls of Maharashtra were declared. In Mumbai, which is one of the largest municipal corporations in the world, the public there has given the BJP a record mandate,” PM Modi said at Kaliabor in Assam at an event to lay the foundation stone of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor Project (4-laning of Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715), worth over ₹6,950 Crore.Modi said the BJP has been given the mandate to run the civic bodies in most cities of Maharashtra. And before this, he said, the party had registered a historic win in Kerala, winning municipal elections in Thiruvananthapuram, the state capital. BJP leader VV Rajesh took over as Thiruvananthapuram mayor last month with the support of an independent municipal corporator.“In elections held in recent years, there’s a clear mandate that shows the public today wants good governance and development. Their focus is on development and heritage, which is why they like the BJP. These elections also show that the country has continuously discarded the negative politics of the Congress. In Mumbai where the Congress was formed, today the party is placed at the 4th or 5th position. The same is the case with Maharashtra where they ruled for many years,” PM Modi said.He said that the Congress has lost the nation’s trust because it lacked an agenda for development, and such a party can never do good for Assam. Modi cited measures taken by the BJP government in Assam to remove illegal settlers who had encroached government lands and accused the Congress of encouraging infiltration of illegal immigrants for the sake of votes and power, a point that he had underlined on Saturday as well during his address at Bagurumba Dwhou 2026 — a cultural event of the Bodo community — in Guwahati.“The BJP government’s efforts to free land from encroachers in Assam have been lauded widely. On the other hand, the Congress, in its lust for power and votes, handed over Assam’s land to infiltrators. For decades, they formed the government during which infiltration continued to increase, and the infiltrators began encroaching on land and animal corridors… This led to an increase in poaching and smuggling of wild animal parts,” he said.“That’s why we have to be careful about the Congress. They did this many places, including Bihar, but the voters there delivered a resounding defeat. I am sure they will get a similar answer in Assam as well (when the state goes to polls in a few months),” Modi added.The PM laid foundation stone of the Kaziranga Elevated Corridor Project (4-laning of Kaliabor-Numaligarh section of NH-715), worth over ₹6,950 Crore.Once built, the 86 km-long Kaziranga corridor project will include a 35 km-long elevated wildlife corridor passing through Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve (KNPTR), a 21 km bypass section, and the widening of the existing NH-715 highway section from two to four lanes.Officials said that when the Brahmaputra floods and rises, wild animals would cross the national highway in search of higher ground. The elevated corridor will keep the animals safe and ensure their uninterrupted movement, reducing human-wildlife conflict. It will also enhance road safety, reduce travel time and accident rates, and support the growth of passenger and freight traffic.“Kaziranga is not just a national park, it’s part of Assam’s soul. It’s also a priceless jewel of India’s biodiversity, and UNESCO has designated it as a World Heritage Site. It’s our responsibility to protect it and its wildlife,” said Modi.The PM also spoke about the lingering concerns over the poaching of the endangered one-horned rhinos and credited the BJP government with taking steps to curb their poaching.PM Modi also flagged off two new Amrit Bharat Express trains – Guwahati (Kamakhya)-Rohtak Amrit Bharat Express and Dibrugarh-Lucknow (Gomti Nagar) Amrit Bharat Express.“Earlier during the Congress regime, Assam’s annual rail budget was ₹2,000 crores annually, but now it has increased to ₹10,000 crores… Northeast is now not just close to ‘dil’ (heart), but also to Dilli (Delhi), due to improved connectivity measures,” the PM said.