By Abhishek Saha

Assuring the people of Assam that Citizenship (Amendment) Act will not lead to outsiders settling in the state, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday that ‘certain forces’ were spreading misinformation on the CAA and that the country will ‘neither tolerate nor forgive’ them. He speaking for the first time in Assam after the violent protests in December against the new citizenship law that left six people dead.

Amidst loud cheers and fluttering Tricolours and flags of the All Bodo Students Union, Modi asked the gathering — he called it the largest rally in independent India — in Kokrajhar in Bodoland Territorial Region to celebrate the peace and development accord that the government has signed with Bodo groups last month. Following the signing, over 1,600 members of the Bodo militant outfit NDFB laid down their weapons.

“I have come to assure people of Assam that the country will neither tolerate nor forgive anti-Assam and anti-India mentality and its supporters. These are the same forces who are spreading rumours in Assam and Northeast that through CAA people from outside will come to Assam and they will be settled here. I want to assure that nothing of that sort will happen,” Modi said.

The Prime Minister said that a mentality has emerged to block roads, put barricades and create problems. He said the politics that encourages such mentality does “not know India nor do they understand Assam”. “Assam and India are connected by heart and soul,” Modi said.

He said that just like Bodo groups have all come together to the mainstream, other’s “misconceptions too will get clear soon”. Modi began his speech by hailing Bharat Mata, speaking lines in Bodo and Assamese, and invoking the great Vaishnavite spiritual reformer Srimanta Sankardev, Mahatma Gandhi and Bhupen Hazarika. He ended the nearly hour-long speech with chants of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Mahatma Gandhi Amar Rahe’.

“Friends, have trust in me, I am yours. Your sadness and pain, your hopes and aspirations, your children’s bright future… I will not be behind in doing whatever I can for that,” said Modi to thundering applause.