Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday criticised Congress during a public address in Silchar, Assam, saying it was acting as a puppet of forces against India’s growth.Speaking on the second day of his Assam visit, the Prime Minister said, “The forces across the globe that are unable to digest India’s rapid development, the Congress is increasingly becoming a mere puppet in the hands of these very forces,” he said.

The prime minister further accused Congress of neglecting the Barak Valley for decades after independence. PM Modi said the region once played a key role in trade but lost its strength after the country’s borders were drawn in a way that cut off its connection to the sea.“The Congress party had left the North East to its own fate. When the country attained independence, the Congress permitted the drawing of the boundary in such a manner that the Barak Valley’s vital link to the sea was completely severed,” he said.The Prime Minister said the BJP’s double-engine government was now working to change the situation by improving infrastructure and connectivity in the region.PM Modi inaugurated projects worth around Rs 24,000 crore in Silchar, including the Shillong–Silchar high-speed corridor.“Just ask the Congress leaders about this. Hand them a pen and paper, and ask them to write down Rs 24,000 crore, and they won’t even be able to do it,” he said.The 166 km corridor, with an investment of around Rs 22,860 crore, is supposed to significantly improve connectivity between Meghalaya and Assam. Speaking at the occasion, Chief Minister of the poll-bound state, Himanta Biswa Sarma, said, “Elections in Assam are just around the corner. On behalf of the Barak Valley and the people of Assam, I wish to convey this message to the Prime Minister: The people of Assam will bring back the Modi government”. The Prime Minister is scheduled to hold a rally in Bengal in the afternoon.