Assam: BJP Hails Strategic Infrastructure Push, Accuses Congress of Undermining National Security

Guwahati: The Assam unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has strongly defended a series of major strategic infrastructure initiatives announced by the Centre, while launching a sharp attack on the Congress and its state president, Gaurav Gogoi.

In a press statement issued from the party’s state headquarters, Atal Bihari Vajpayee Bhawan in Guwahati, BJP spokesperson Pranjal Kalita said that projects such as the development of highways capable of functioning as emergency landing strips for Indian Air Force fighter aircraft mark a “significant advancement” in national security preparedness. The initiative, which has sparked debate across the country, is intended to enable fighter jets to take off and land on specially reinforced stretches of road during emergencies.

Kalita also highlighted the proposed 15-kilometre rail-and-road tunnel beneath the Brahmaputra river, linking Gohpur and Numaligarh at an estimated cost of ₹18,600 crore. According to the BJP, the project will not only improve connectivity but also strengthen defence logistics in the Northeast. Additionally, he referred to the Union Railway Minister’s announcement of a proposed 22-kilometre rail tunnel under the strategically sensitive “Chicken’s Neck” corridor, aimed at enhancing connectivity and safeguarding the region from potential external threats.

Expressing gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kalita claimed that people in Assam and the wider Northeast are now able to “dream of development instead of living with insecurity”. He further credited Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma with restoring peace and stability in the state.

Turning to the Opposition, Kalita alleged that the Congress had historically weakened Assam’s strategic interests and encouraged demographic changes detrimental to the state’s culture and economy. He criticised Gaurav Gogoi for raising questions in Parliament regarding India’s coastal radar systems and the utility of the Moran highway airstrip, suggesting such queries could raise public concerns over national security.

The Congress has not yet responded to the allegations.

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