A day after hat-trick win, Himanta Biswa Sarma vows to continue fight against illegal infiltration in Assam

Guwahati, May 5 (IANS) After the BJP-led NDA alliance's third consecutive win in Assam, this time with a greater margin, the Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday asserted that his government will continue drive against illegal infiltration with same vigour.

Speaking to IANS, Sarma promised that the move to drive out illegal infiltrators will continue. "The fight for our identity will continue," he said.

He expressed gratitude to the people of Assam for BJP's landslide win in the state.

"We are grateful to the people of Assam for placing their confidence on Prime Minister Narendra Modi. In the future, the state will witness a flow of development," he said.

The BJP-led alliance registered a decisive victory in the polls, consolidating its position in Assam and further marginalising the opposition, including the Congress, which trailed significantly in the final tally.

The BJP won 82 seats, and the Congress managed to secure only 19 constituencies.

Earlier in the day, the Assam Chief Minister had also said that he had anticipated the BJP’s strong performance in the Assembly elections, revealing that he had noted down his assessment on April 9 when polling concluded.

Meanwhile, Sarma termed the BJP's Bengal win as "victory for the entire nation".

He said: "This victory will play a huge role in the security of the east and north-eastern India. That is why I will repeat that Bengal has been won not just by the BJP, but by the entire country."

He also reacted to Congress leader Pawan Khera being granted bail in a forgery and defamation case related to alleged false statements against the CM's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma.

Sarma said: "He (Khera) has been granted bail but he has not been freed from the allegations. The case against him will continue."

The Assam CM dismissed any Congress MLA joining BJP in the state.

"There is no possibility of them joining BJP and they should not come either," he said.

Taking a jibe, the Chief Minister said: “We already have 102 (MLAs) how many more can we take care of?”