New Delhi/Guwahati, 21 December (H.S.): Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday became the first sitting Prime Minister to pay homage to the 860 martyrs of the historic Assam Movement (1979-1985) at the newly inaugurated Swahid Smarak Kshetra in Paschim Boragaon, Guwahati.
Accompanied by Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, he offered floral tributes before an eternal lamp and garlanded the bust of Khargeswar Talukdar, the movement's first martyr who died on December 10, 1979.
The memorial, dedicated to those who sacrificed their lives in the six-year anti-foreigner agitation aimed at protecting Assam's identity, culture, and rights from illegal immigration, features a martyrs' gallery with busts of all 860 victims.
Chief Minister Sarma described the visit as an emotional moment for Assam, contrasting it with the state's dark days under Congress rule marked by infiltration, violence, and mismanagement, while praising Modi's leadership in the Double Engine government's push for peace and prosperity.
Earlier on Saturday,PM Modi inaugurated the new Bamboo Orchids Terminal 2 at Lokapriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport and unveiled a statue of Assam's first Chief Minister and Bharat Ratna recipient Gopinath Bordoloi, hailing the Northeast as India's new gateway to development through enhanced infrastructure.
PM Modi's packed itinerary continued with an interaction with 25 meritorious Assam students aboard a Brahmaputra River cruise as part of the 'Pariksha Pe Charcha' programme, followed by laying the foundation stone for a ₹12,000 crore ammonia-urea fertiliser plant at Namrup in Dibrugarh district, boosting regional agriculture and industry.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
