Darrang, Sep 14: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated and laid foundation stones for significant infrastructure and industrial development projects in Assam's Darrang.

He also slammed Congress for "insulting" Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika, and said that the party has always "resorted to hurting the sentiments of the Northeast".

Locals in large numbers gathered at the venue in Mangaldoi in the Darrang district, where the Prime Minister laid the foundation stone for a cluster of health education projects, including a new Medical College and Hospital, a GNM school, and a B.Sc Nursing College.

Additionally, the foundation stone was laid for the Guwahati Ring Road Project, intended to ease traffic congestion and improve urban connectivity, and the Kuruwa-Narengi Bridge over the Brahmaputra, an infrastructure development expected to boost regional transport links.

Addressing the event, PM Modi said, "Yesterday was my first visit to Assam after Operation Sindoor. Operation Sindoor was a huge success with the blessings of Maa Kamakhya. Now, I am having another holy experience by coming to this holy land of Maa Kamakhya and above all, Janmashtami is being celebrated here today. From the Red Fort, I had said, I remembered Chakradhari Mohan. I remembered Shri Krishna, and I have put forth the idea of a Sudarshan Chakra in the future security policy before the people."

PM Modi arrived in Guwahati on Saturday and attended the celebrations marking the 100th birth anniversary of Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika. The Prime Minister paid rich tribute to the legendary singer and cultural icon of the state.

Recalling the centenary birth anniversary celebrations organised on a day earlier to honour the music legend, PM Modi told the large gathering, "Yesterday, I had the honour to attend the celebrations to pay homage to him. The great sons and daughters of Assam envisioned dreams for our forefathers, and today, the BJP's double-engine government is working wholeheartedly to fulfil those dreams".

"Yesterday, after the celebrations, the Chief Minister told me about a Congress president's statement and showed me the video today. It was from the day when the Indian government decided to bestow the Bharat Ratna on the great son of India, Bhupen Hazarika, that day, the Congress chief had said, 'Modi is giving Bharat Ratna to those who sing and dance', PM Modi said, while recalling the 1962 statement made by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru against the people from Northeast, during the war with China.

"And now, the current generation of Congress is also following his footsteps to hurt the sentiments of the region," the Prime Minister said.

"I don't care when people abuse me. I am a devotee of Lord Shiv. I can take in all the poison. However, if someone else is abused so shamelessly, I cannot take it. You people tell me, is my decision of honouring Bhupen Da with Bharat Ratna right or wrong? Is the insult done by Congress for honouring him with Bharat Ratna right or wrong? This abuse has hurt me a lot," he said.

Slamming Congress, he said, "Their entire ecosystem will come down on me, saying that I have again started ranting; however, for me, my Northeast is my God and if I don't cry about my problems here, where will I?"

Later in the afternoon, PM Modi will travel to Numaligarh in the Golaghat district. There, he will inaugurate Assam Bio-Ethanol Private Limited's plant, a clean energy initiative aimed at promoting sustainable fuel production.

In addition, the foundation stone will be laid for a polypropylene plant at Numaligarh Refinery Limited (NRL), which is expected to strengthen the petrochemical sector and generate substantial employment.

(IANS)

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