What Modi said in Assam, and what he’s claiming
Modi made his remarks while officially opening a number of development projects in Guwahati and Kokrajhar. He said that, even when a war was causing trouble, Congress was interested in ‘spreading wrong information and things that weren’t true’ instead of what was best for the country.
He asked Congress members to go back and read Nehru’s speech from the Red Fort on August 15th, saying Nehru had pointed out how wars in distant places could cause inflation in India. Modi presented this as both a piece of history, and as background to the issues we’re having now.
What Nehru said about wars in other countries and the economy
The Prime Minister repeated Nehru’s point that wars in places far away – like the Korean War, a long time ago – had economic effects at home. He used this link from history to say that trouble in other countries can affect prices and supply lines in India.
In theory, this is a well-known idea: when world supply, shipping, and costs of goods are disturbed, costs go up here. Modi stressed this to answer arguments from the opposition that blame inflation on what this government does.
Farm policy, PM Kisan, and making supply chains stronger
Modi supported his government’s plans for farming, saying things like the direct payments under PM Kisan Samman Nidhi helped to protect farmers from problems from outside the country. He also said that Congress was spreading stories that these payments would have to be given back after the elections.
He pointed to the ‘Per Drop, More Crop’ plan, and the wider use of small-scale watering systems such as drip and sprinkler irrigation. He showed these actions as ways to reduce depending on imports and make the costs of growing things less likely to be affected by world prices of fertiliser and energy.
The Bodoland agreements and work on regional improvement
On regional policy, the Prime Minister reminded people of the promises which had been kept under the Bodoland Agreements. He listed steps such as giving the Bodo language the status of an associate official language, a special £130 million package for development, and medical colleges in Kokrajhar and Tamulpur.
Modi also talked about efforts to bring almost 10,000 former fighters back into normal life, showing these as real results of NDA government. These local improvements were linked to the wider message in the election about getting things done and stability.
Political messages, wrong information, and what the election means
Modi called Congress a ‘shop of false promises’ and said they were making splits in society to get votes. He said the opposition gave ‘very big lies’ with pledges they hadn’t kept – a way of talking which was meant to show the difference in trustworthiness and purpose before the elections.
In a time of fast movement of information, these claims also touch on the part played by social media and networks on the internet in making claims and counter-claims louder. The exchange shows how stories about war and worry about the economy become the main points in election campaigns.
The Prime Minister’s speech puts together claims about policy, references to history, and clear political criticism. Voters in Assam, and elsewhere, will likely weigh these claims against independent facts about price rises, support for farming, and local improvements as the election gets closer.
