The Rs 227-crore renovated Batadrava Than, the birthplace of Vaishnavite saint Srimanta Sankardev in Assam's Nagaon district, was officially opened on Monday by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Speaking to a crowd following the inauguration, Shah declared that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is dedicated to eradicating illegal immigration from Assam.
The audience erupted in cheers when Shah declared, "Today, the process of freeing the birthplace of Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev in Nagaon, which was under the clutches of encroachers, has been completed."
According to the Home Minister, the Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev Abhirbhav Kshetra will become a significant hub for bhakti, public devotion, and spiritual awakening, reuniting people with the 500-year-old legacy of Sankardeva.
According to him, "hearing naam in prayer halls strengthens cultural continuity in Assam and takes devotees back to the era of Sankardeva."
Shah recalled his previous visit, stating that he had carried out the project's bhumi pujan on December 26, 2020, and he was pleased to be able to officially open the finished complex.
Shah emphasized Sankardeva's contribution to the development of Assamese culture, saying the saint spread the notion of a unified India throughout the Northeast.
Even to those who wanted to divide the country, Sankardev communicated the idea of one India. He stated, "Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's leadership, that same ideal is being carried forward today."
Shah praised Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for spearheading eviction campaigns throughout the state, especially in Kaziranga National Park, and questioned if encroachment by illegal immigrants from Bangladesh could ever be justified.
Shah launched a scathing assault on the Congress, accusing it of supporting unauthorized colonies in Assam. He claimed that "Congress even gave illegal immigrants legal assistance to help them settle in the state."
Citing data, Shah asserted that the Modi government had invested over Rs 15 lakh crore in Assam during a ten-year period, whereas the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) had spent Rs 1.28 lakh crore. Additionally, he emphasized peace measures, claiming that Assam had moved past decades of insurgency and violence.
"Our young people carried AK-47s during a period when bomb blasts reverberated throughout Assam. The Bodo and Karbi peace accords, along with deals with Adivasi communities and ULFA, were struck under Prime Minister Modi.
Today, naam and devotional melodies reverberate throughout Assam, according to Shah. In contrast to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's seven visits throughout his 12-year term, the Home Minister pointed out that Prime Minister Modi had made approximately 80 trips to the Northeast in 11 years, including 36 trips to Assam.
"We will rid the entire state of illegal immigrants if Assamese citizens grant the BJP an additional five years." This is what we promise," Shah declared.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, the chief minister, called the day sacred for Assam and opened his speech with a recitation from the Naam Ghosa.
The BJP government was given the task by the Assamese people to build the Abhirbhav Kshetra and drive out intruders from Borduwa Than.
Visitors visiting the Than won't have to pay a single rupee. We think Borduwa Than must make measures to protect our community," Sarma stated.
The Chief Minister issued a warning, claiming that a group of "unknown people" who do not comprehend or adhere to Sankardev and Madhavdev's teachings pose a threat to Assamese society.
Sankar and Madhabdev, not Sankar and Ajan Fakir, are our gurus. Our gurus are only Sankar and Madhabdev, despite attempts by some secularists to compare them, Sarma stated.
Eviction drives have already released satra land, VGR, PGR, and almost 1.45 lakh bighas of land for indigenous groups, but "much remains to be done," he stated, emphasizing that progress without community identity has no significance.
The Chief Minister declared, "I promise from Batadrava Than that we will never permit such people to live peacefully in the state."
Shah arrived in Guwahati at 11 a.m. earlier in the day and took a Border Security Force (BSF) helicopter to Borduwa. When he arrived, gayan-bayan (singers and drummers) gave him a ceremonial welcome. He then went to the great center edifice that housed the Guru Asana, the revered saint's seat.
