Nagaon (Assam) [India], December 29 (ANI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Monday asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is committed to removing infiltrators from across the country, using the redevelopment of the historic Batadrava Than in Assam as a key example of the government's resolve against illegal encroachment.

Speaking after inaugurating the Batadrava Cultural Project in Nagaon district, Shah questioned the presence of alleged Bangladeshi infiltrators at the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardeva, a revered Vaishnav saint and social reformer. 'The BJP resolves to remove all infiltrators from the entire country. Was it right that Bangladeshi infiltrators were there at this place of Sankardeva?' he said, congratulating Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for clearing encroachments and re-establishing the sacred Namghar at the site.

'Congress treated infiltrators - who threatened the people, culture and identity of Assam, as its vote bank,' the Home Minister added.

Shah said that more than one lakh bighas of land had been freed from encroachers, alleging that previous Congress governments failed to act despite sacrifices made during the Assam Movement. 'Congress ruled for so many years, but it did not do anything for those who gave their lives for the Assam movement,' he said.

The Home Minister also invoked the legacy of Bharat Ratna Gopinath Bordoloi, crediting Assam's first Chief Minister with ensuring that Assam and the Northeast remained part of India. 'If Gopinath ji had not been there, Assam and the entire Northeast would not have been a part of India. It was he who forced Jawaharlal Nehru to keep Assam in India,' Shah said.

Describing Batadrava Than as a symbol of Assamese unity and harmony, Shah said it represented the inclusive 'nav-vaishnav dharma' propagated by Srimanta Sankardeva, where people from all communities come together.

Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said that in the last decade, the state government had freed around 1.45 lakh bighas of land from illegal encroachers and would continue the drive. He appealed to encroachers to voluntarily vacate Satra and government land.

Developed over 162 bighas of encroachment-free land at a cost of around Rs 217 crore, the Batadrava Cultural Project aims to emerge as a world-class spiritual and cultural tourism hub, showcasing Assam's heritage while promoting Sankardeva's ideals of devotion, equality and social harmony. (ANI)