Lok Sabha Elections 2019: PM Modi was addressing a rally in Assam Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday took a dig at the local newspapers saying that instead of highlighting development works they were giving prominence to other issues. "When I saw today's newspapers in the morning, I thought there is something........but people are still coming in thousands to attend this rally," PM Modi ambiguously said about the prevailing situation in the state. "People are still coming in thousands and next time a bigger field has to be arranged. In recent times, I have addressed four rallies in North East and the enthusiasm in Assam is increasing with each rally breaking its earlier record but today's mammoth gathering has broken all previous records," PM Modi said as he began his speech. "I am, however, confident that the papers published from Guwahati tomorrow will not carry any of these details. You must be knowing the reason why," he chuckled. "The reporters present here are working very hard but their newspaper owners will not allow their hard work to bear result," he said. "The love and blessings, I receive in Assam is due to Ma Kamkhya and nothing is possible without her benevolence", he added. The Prime Minister, peppering his speech with sentences in Assamese, paid rich tributes to states icons Srimanata Sankardeva, Madhavdeva, Azan Fakir, Chaolung Sukapha, Lachit Barphukan, Gopinath Bordoloi and Dr Bhupen Hazarika. He said the previous governments had failed to honour these icons and it was the BJP government who took the initiative of conferring the Bharat Ratna on Assam's first Chief Minister Gopinath Bordoloi during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's term and now to music legend Dr Bhupen Hazarika. The Prime Minister profusely quoted Dr Bhupen Hazarika in his 40-minute speech and ended with an ode to the state on the banks of the mighty Brahmaputra by the legendary musician.<doc-sep>In the backdrop of ongoing protests over the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill in Assam, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday made a strong pitch for the controversial legislation that is pending in Parliament. PM Modi said the opposition parties are “creating confusion over the citizenship bill”. He said, “A confusion is being created over the citizenship bill. You need to beware of the intention of those doing so...They are all ‘mahamilawati’ (highly adulterated) parties.” “We should understand the difference between those who infiltrate India to capture the resources of the country and those fleeing their countries following persecution on the ground of religious belief…It is the obligation of India to protect such people,” PM Modi said. Follow live updates here: In Assam, Modi says infiltrators have no place in India, govt committed to citizenship bill Attempting to allay fears expressed by those protesting the citizenship bill, the prime minister said, “Citizenship to the migrants will be given only after proper verification. It will not be done without the recommendation of the state government,” he said. PM Modi asserted that the citizenship bill “is not a subject related to Assam only…it is about the entire country…it is about those who love Mother India…whether they came from Pakistan, Afghanistan or Bangladesh…” He began his speech by invoking late Bhupen Hazarika to lash out at the previous central governments for “taking several decades to honour” the renowned Assamese poet-singer. He said, “I leave it up to you to decide who is responsible for the delay of decades in honouring Dr Bhupen Hazarika” and recognising the “true gem of Assam”. “I pay my tributes to Dr Bhupen Hazarika. He raised his voice for the deprived and the poor,” PM Modi said at Amingaon in Guwahati. He talked about central government schemes aimed at development in the northeast. PM Modi said the interim budget allocated more than 21 per cent fund compared to the previous year for the north-east. “This shows our commitment to the north east,” he said. The prime minister said the opposition is abusing him as the government has launched a drive against corruption. “Those who had fled the country after committing corruption are being brought back and made to face justice,” he said. On Saturday morning, PM Modi was shown black flags for the second consecutive day over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill. Various groups including the All Assam Students Union (AASU), the Asom Jatiyatabadi Yuva Chhatra Parishad (AJYCP) and the Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) have been opposing the citizenship bill. The citizenship bill seeks to provide citizenship to Hindus, Jains, Christians, Sikhs, Buddhists and Parsis who came to India from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan following persecution on religious ground. Passed by the Lok Sabha during the last Winter Session, the bill is awaiting nod from the Rajya Sabha. Earlier in the day, PM Modi visited Itanagar and unveiled a series of development projects in the Arunachal Pradesh capital. He also laid foundation stone for the construction of greenfield airport at Hollongi. The prime minister said the Hollongi airport will be the first regular passenger airport. At present, the nearest airport to Itanagar is at Lilabari in Assam at a distance of 80 km. Addressing a public rally, PM Modi talked about central government schemes including Ayushman Bharat or PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) and recently launched PM Kisan. The prime minister said about 11 lakh people have been benefitted within 150 days of the launch of PMJAY, which he also referred to as “Modicare”. Blaming the previous central government for “not focusing on the development of the northeast”, PM Modi said, “When tourism flourishes, everyone earns…the tourist guide, the shopkeeper, the hotelwalla and also the chaiwalla…The northeast has immense potential for development of tourism.” He also laid the foundation stone of Sela tunnel in Arunachal Pradesh, which will provide all-weather connectivity to Tawang Valley for civilians as well as security forces throughout the year. The tunnel will reduce travel time to Tawang by an hour and boost tourism and related economic activities in the region. (With inputs from agencies)<doc-sep>A look at the headlines right now: Black flags waved at Narendra Modi in Assam for second straight day as protests against Citizenship Bill continue: The prime minister laid the foundation of development projects worth Rs 4,000 crore in Arunachal Pradesh. BJP’s ‘gang of three’ is trying to destabilise Karnataka government, alleges Congress: Congress leader KC Venugopal accused state BJP chief BS Yeddyurappa of offering Rs 10 crore to at least 18 MLAs of the ruling coalition. CBI starts questioning Kolkata police chief Rajeev Kumar in Shillong in Saradha chit fund case: Kumar arrived in the city on Friday with three top West Bengal police officers. Robert Vadra questioned by Enforcement Directorate for third time in money laundering case: The businessman is accused of using laundered money to buy real estate in London. Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un to meet in Hanoi on February 27 and 28: US Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun held three days of talks in Pyongyang to set the stage for the second meeting between the two leaders. Narendra Modi’s Lok Sabha speech went against tradition of civility and culture, says Sharad Pawar: The NCP president said prime ministers in the past used to respect Parliament and their speeches were civilised. Invoking NSA in alleged cow slaughter case in Madhya Pradesh was wrong, says P Chidambaram: The former Union finance minister claimed that Congress President Rahul Gandhi has asked the Kamal Nath government to correct the ‘mistake’. Gujjar protestors continue to block railway tracks, at least 14 trains cancelled: The community wants the state government to implement the 5% reservation in education and government jobs promised to them in 2017. Historian Sanjay Subrahmanyam wins Dan David Prize for contributions to macro history: Subrahmanyam will share the $1-million prize money with historian Kenneth Pomeranz. American on his way to Pakistan to join Lashkar-e-Taiba arrested at New York airport: Jesus Wilfredo Encarnacion is facing two charges that carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.<doc-sep>
PM Modi is on a two-day visit to the Northeast. (Photo: PTI) Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday met with protests from the members of the All Assam Students Union (AASU) ahead of his rally in the state. AASU members showed black flags to the prime minister as he travelled to Raj Bhavan from the airport after he arrived in Guwahati. PM Modi is on a two-day visit to the Northeast. Slogans like 'Modi go back', 'Scrap Citizenship Amendment Bill', 'Joi Aai Asom' (Glory to Mother Assam) were heard from the protestors. The Citizenship Bill was passed by the Lok Sabha on January 8 and is awaiting approval from the Rajya Sabha. It is being opposed by the majority of the Northeastern states. The bill seeks to provide Indian citizenship to non-Muslims from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. On Saturday (February 9) morning, activists of Krishak Mukti Sangram Samiti (KMSS) also showed black flags to PM Modi in Guwahati while his convoy went to Borjhar Airport from Raj Bhawan on his way to Arunachal Pradesh to inaugurate and lay foundation stones of several projects. Police detained five youths from Jalukbari area in Guwahati who showed black flags to PM Modi this morning. Three MPs of the opposition CPI-M in Tripura are also planning to boycott PM Modi's rally to protest and express solidarity with the movement against the Citizenship Amendment Bill 2016. In a tweet on Saturday (February 9), PM Modi said, "Yesterday, had requested you all to share pictures of your visits to the Northeast on Instagram using #MagnificentNortheast." Yesterday, had requested you all to share pictures of your visits to the Northeast on Instagram using #MagnificentNortheast. I shared some of the pictures in a Story on my page. Do have a look! https://t.co/HL4RbIyE9z Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) February 9, 2019 PM Modi also shared some of the pictures from the Northeast on Instagram. PM Modi on Saturday laid the foundation of a greenfield airport at Hollongi in Parum Pare district and inaugurated a retrofitted airport at Tezu in Lohit district through a remote.. PM Modi is scheduled to unveil the statue of Tripura's last ruler Birbikram Kishore Manikya Bahadur at the airport. He will address a public rally at Swami Vivekananda Maidan and inaugurate a new block of Indian Institute of Information technology (IIIT) at the premises of Tripura Institute of Technology (TIT). He will also inaugurate a 23-km-long railway track between Garjee in Gomati district and Belonia in South Tripura. (Inputs from Manogya Loiwal)