Blowing the poll bugle  in Tripura on Monday, Union Home Minister Amit Shah raked up the issue of illegal migration in the state.

Shah addressing two big election rallies in support of BJP candidates at Santirbazar and Khowai on Monday  said, “Infiltrators are rapidly changing the demography of the tribal-dominated areas in Tripura. It is only the BJP, which can stop this. The rest of the political parties count infiltrators as vote banks.”

Tearing into the opposition he said that the Congress and the Motha party are the overt and covert allies of the communist party.

“The Congress is a known ally of the communist party while the Motha is secretly allying with the communists. If you do not want a communist party rule in Tripura never vote for them. Any vote cast in favor of the Congress and the Motha will eventually help the communists,” he said making an appeal.

He further added, “I do not know what has happened to the leadership of Motha. They are trying to help the same communists who inflicted so much injustice on the tribal people in the past.”

“I want to tell the tribal brothers and sisters, the Motha leadership wants to mislead you people to re-impose communist rule upon you. But it is Modiji who gave you free food grains for two and a half years, gas cylinders were given by Modiji, toilets are given to you by Modiji, electricity has been given by Modiji, homes have been given by Modiji, every farmer has been paid Rs.6,000 by Modiji. Have unwavering trust in Modiji. I can assure you that in the next five years, the tribal brothers and sisters will see unprecedented development,” he said.

He further said that the communists cannot win a direct electoral battle against the BJP. So they allied with Congress and the Motha. On the other hand, the Motha wants to cause a division in BJP votes to help communists win.

“So if you want the BJP to form a government again vote for the Lotus. If you vote for the Motha or the Congress it will help the communists. If communists are back in power they will unleash another reign of terror,” he appealed.

“The communists gave you only darkness but we gave you the rights. They wreaked havoc in the state killing 400 persons. We introduced Vikaas in place of Vinaash by signing one after another peace pact with the insurgent groups including the one with Bru-Reang insurgents,” he said.

He also said that the communists always began disputes or Vivaad but it is the BJP that instilled trust or Vishwaas.

“This is the same Tripura that was once afflicted with insurgency, infiltration, drugs, human trafficking, and injustice meted out to the tribes. But in a span of just five years of BJP rule, they have been replaced with roads, bridges, a secure environment, industries, and organic farming. Most importantly the BJP government has given the rights to the tribal people in Tripura,” he said.

“Earlier to get a gas connection, to get a contract, to get cheap food grains, you had to meet a card-carrying cadre of the communist party. But the BJP government has ended the cadre raj and brought in the constitution raj. We have ended tolabazi. We have ended fear” he said.

Adding that the clear plan of developing Tripura with the mantra of Highways, Internet, Roads, and Airports, HIRA in short form has been successfully implemented on the ground.

He further underlined the moves made by the Modi government in ushering in development through Self-help groups he said that during Communist rule there were only 4,600 Self-help groups for women during the 50-year-old rule of the Congress and the communist party which has increased to 42,000 during the five years of the BJP rule.

“They financed only Rs.8 crores to these groups in 50 years but we have financed Rs.562 crores to these groups in five years,” he added.

He also asserted that in the last 50 years, there is a dip of 50% in crimes against women during the BJP rule in Tripura.

“Similarly a provision of 33% reservation has been made in the government jobs for women. When the BJP took over there were only 73 Public Health Centres which has now increased to 118 during the BJP rule. The government has also added 238 ambulances to the health infrastructure,” he said.

He also reiterated the Modi government’s initiatives to establish peace in the region. “There was a time when only the sound of explosions of bombs echoed in the northeastern region but we hear sound railways and airplanes,” he said.

He also reiterated the efforts for peace made by the government and mentioned the peace accords signed with the NLFT, and Bru-Reang insurgent groups and the same to give homes to 40,000 people. He also stated that during the Modi regime, the budget for tribal development has been increased from Rs 21,000 to Rs.86,000. The BJP government also provided for the appointment of 29,800 teachers posts, and 740 Ekalavya Vidyalayas for tribal students.

He also launched another attack on the communist party that the party which has all along been playing the pro-employee welfare card for politics always deprived of government employees by paying them as per the 5th Pay Commission’s recommendation. But it is the BJP government that paid as per the recommendations of the 7th pay commission. He said that the BJP government has appointed more than 24,000 people to government jobs and established more than 20,000 small and medium size industries, more than 10 lakh people have been covered by insurance, opened 3 government colleges, opened 2-degree colleges in PPP mode and Raja Veer vikram airport has been renovated to make for a world-class airport.

“The communists and congress governments never bought rice from the farmers. But the BJP government has bought rice from more than 70,000 farmers and paid them Rs.243 crores as MSP,” he said.

He also reminded that the BJP government paid approximately 2.5 lakh farmers Rs.6,000 a year and promoted education in their mother tongue ensuring that students can learn in languages like Chakma, Garo, Manipuri, and Vishnupriya Manipuri.

“We have taken many other measures for development. But we would like to remind you that in the last election, we appealed to you that hand Tripura over to us and we will lead the state on the path of peace. In the last five years, we have established peace and in the next five years we will make Tripura the most prosperous state among all the states in Northeast India,” he said.

He began his speech by paying respects to Maa Tripura Sundari, Shiv Bari, Devtamur temple, Teerthmukh, and the erstwhile kings of the Manikya dynasty and especially the Veer Vikram Dev who protected Tripura from many crises.

“ The Congress and the Communists ruled for 50 years in Tripura. I want to ask you all whether they did anything to develop the tribal society in Tripura? Did you all see any development? Did you get the toilets? Did you get gas cylinders in their rule? Did they vaccinate you from the diseases you had suffered earlier” he asked.

“But it is during Modiji who vaccinated everyone in Tripura free of cost and secured the entire population of the state,” he said.

He further added, “Modiji has given homes to lakhs of people and, given drinking water to 4 lakh families. The communists only gave 24,000 families water supply families but Modiji gave water supply connection to 4 lakh families in just five years.”

Adding that this is what is called change he said, “This is the difference between the communist and the BJP.”