PM’s address at Bihu programme in Guwahati
Speaker: Narendra Modi
Date: 14 Apr, 2023

Heartiest greetings to the people of Assam on the occasion of Rongali Bihu! Friends, Those present here in the program or watching it on TV can never forget this spectacle in their life. It is unforgettable, wonderful and unprecedented. It is Assam. The entire India is listening to the sounds of the drum, Pepa and Gogona resonating in the sky. Today, the country and the world are watching with great pride the hard work and coordination of thousands of artists from Assam. Firstly, the occasion is so huge and secondly your enthusiasm and spirit is amazing. I remember saying that the day is not far when people will say A to Assam when I came here during the assembly elections. Today, Assam is really becoming an A-One state. I wish the people of Assam and the country a very Happy Bihu. Friends, Baisakhi is also being celebrated in many areas of North India, including Punjab. Bengali sisters and brothers are celebrating Poila Boishakh whereas Vishu festival will be celebrated in Kerala. It is the time of the beginning of the New Year in many states. The festivals we are celebrating are the reflection of the spirit of ‘Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat’. These festivals are an inspiration to fulfil our resolutions of a developed India with ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s efforts). Friends, With this spirit, many projects related to the development of the North East and Assam have been inaugurated and their foundation stones laid here. Today, Assam and the North East have received AIIMS Guwahati and three new medical colleges as a gift. Today, many projects related to the rail connectivity of the North East have also been started. Today, work has begun on another bridge on the Brahmaputra to improve connectivity. With the construction of a methanol plant, Assam will now be able to export methanol to neighbouring countries as well. The redevelopment and beautification of Rang Ghar, a symbol of Assamese art, culture and tradition, has also started today. Many congratulations to all of you for this festival of culture and rapid development that we all are celebrating. Brothers and sisters, Now, in a short while, the entire country is going to witness the cultural spectacle. When I went among you, I could feel its flavour. What a magnificent spectacle! This is a great example of ‘Sabka Prayas’ (everyone’s effort). Assamese have preserved their culture very carefully. I congratulate you a lot for this effort. Words will fall short to praise all the colleagues who have participated in this cultural festival. Our festivals are not just a celebration of culture. Rather, they are also an inspiration to connect everyone and move forward together. This is the eternal spirit of Rongali (Bohag) Bihu. It is a festival of heart and soul for the people of Assam. It bridges every gap and erases every difference. It is the best symbol of harmony between man and nature. Therefore, no one can understand Bihu only in literal sense. Rather, feelings are required to understand it. The same feeling comes from ‘Kopou Phool’ decorated in the hair of sisters and daughters, Moga silk, Mekhela Sador and Riha. This feeling is also felt by the special dishes prepared in every household today. Friends, The characteristic of India is that our culture and traditions have been connecting every Indian for thousands of years. Together, we withstood every onslaught of the long period of slavery. Together, we faced the harshest attacks on our culture and civilization. Governments changed, rulers came and went, but India remained immortal and firm. The mind of Indians is made of our soil and culture. And this is also the strong foundation stone for building a developed India today. Friends, I am reminded of a famous song written by Jyoti Prasad Agarwala, the famous litterateur and filmmaker of Assam. It is ‘Biswa Bijoy Nabajuwan’. This song has another specialty. Bharat Ratna Bhupen Hazarika ji sang this song when he was very young. Even today, this song is a great inspiration for the youth of Assam and the country. I would like to quote a few lines of this song, but I hope you will forgive me if there is any mistake in pronunciation. I hope you will not be angry. Indeed, the people of Assam have a very big heart. Friends, This song is: “बिस्सा बिजोई नौ जोआन, बिस्सा बिजोई नौ जोआन, होक्ति हालि भारोटोर, उलाई आहा – उलाई आहा !!!! होन्टान टुमि बिप्लोबोर, होमुख होमो होमुखोटे, मुक्टि जोजारु हूसियार, मृट्यु बिजोय कोरिबो लागिबो, साधीनाता खुलि डुआर” !!!! Friends, The people of Assam understand its meaning very well. But it is also necessary to tell its meaning to those who are watching this program across the country what is in the veins of Assam, in the heart of Assam, in the mind of the young generation of Assam. In this song, an appeal has been made to the youth of India. The victorious youth of India, listen to the call of Mother India. This song calls upon the youth to be the agents of change. This song assures that we will conquer death and open the door to freedom. Friends, This song was written when freedom was the biggest dream of India. India is free today and building a developed India is the biggest dream of all of us. We have got the privilege to live for the country. I would appeal to the youth of the country and Assam – the youth of India have the potential to conquer the world. Go ahead, take over the reins of development at a fast pace and open the doors of a developed India. Friends, Many people ask me how do I set such big goals and on whose confidence I talk about a developed India. The answer is very simple. A voice emanating from within says that I have faith in you, I have faith in the youth of the country, I have faith in 140 crore countrymen. It is our government’s endeavour to remove every obstacle in your way as soon as possible. We leave no stone unturned to work hard for you with all sincerity. The projects which were inaugurated or their foundation stones laid today exemplify this. Brothers and sisters, For decades, connectivity in our country was perceived in a very narrow manner. Connectivity meant how a person reaches from one place to another. The people of Assam and the North East know very well India’s situation in this regard. In the last nine years, we have changed that old approach regarding connectivity. Connectivity for us today is a ‘Mahayagya’ working together in four directions. The connectivity on which the country is working today has four dimensions – Physical Connectivity, Digital Connectivity, Social Connectivity and Cultural Connectivity. Friends, Since such a wonderful event has taken place here today, therefore, I would like to talk about cultural connectivity first. Unprecedented work has been done in India regarding cultural connectivity in the last few years. Who else could have imagined that there would be such a huge event in Delhi on the 400th birth anniversary of Lachit Borphukan, the great warrior of Assam? Hundreds of people from Assam went to Delhi for that event and I also had the opportunity to interact with them. Friends, Be it Veer Lachit Borphukan or Rani Gaidinliu, be it Kashi-Tamil Sangamam or Saurashtra-Tamil Sangamam, be it Kedarnath or Kamakhya, be it Dosa or Doi Sira, today every idea, every culture is being united with others. Himanta ji recently attended the Madhavpur fair in Gujarat. This bond of Krishna-Rukmani also connects Western India with the North East. Along with Moga Silk, Tezpur Litchi, Joha Rice, Boka Chaul, Kaji Nemu, our Gamosa has also got GI tag. This is also an attempt to take the Assamese art and enterprise of our sisters to the rest of the country. Brothers and sisters, Today, the dialogue of different cultures of the country is also taking place through tourism. Wherever tourists go, they not only spend money there, but also take the culture of that place with them in their memories. But how could different cultures connect in the absence of physical connectivity in the North East? Therefore, our emphasis is also on rail, road and air connectivity. In the last nine years, we have expanded connectivity at a rapid pace to those people who remained disconnected for a long time. Today most of the villages in the North East are also connected by all-weather roads. Many new airports have been built in the North East in the last nine years and commercial flights introduced for the first time. In the last nine years, broad gauge trains have reached Manipur and Tripura. Today, new rail lines are being laid in the North East three times faster than before. Today, doubling of rail lines is happening in the North East almost 10 times faster than earlier. Today itself, five railway projects have been inaugurated in the North East. More than 6,000 crore rupees have been invested in these projects. These projects are going to accelerate the development of a large part of the North East, including Assam. Rail is reaching a large part of Assam for the first time. Doubling of rail lines will provide easy connectivity to Assam as well as Manipur, Mizoram, Tripura and Nagaland. As a result, goods trains will also be able to reach many new areas. It will now be easier to travel to many places of faith and tourism. Brothers and sisters, I still remember when I came here in 2018 for the inauguration of the Bogibeel Bridge. I also had the privilege of inaugurating the Bhupen Hazarika Dhola-Sadiya Bridge. We are not only completing the projects pending for decades, but are also working on new projects at a fast pace. Today, Assam is reaping the full benefits of the network of bridges over the Brahmaputra which has been built in the last nine years. The silk industry of Sualkuchi will get a major boost with the new bridge which will be built soon. Friends, The way our double engine government has worked on social connectivity in the last nine years, it has made life easier for crores of people. Today lakhs of villages have become free from open defecation due to the Swachh Bharat Mission. Crores of people have got houses through the PM Awas Yojana. Crores of homes have got light from Saubhagya Yojana. The Ujjwala Yojana has freed crores of mothers and sisters from smoke. Tap water has started reaching crores of homes due to the Jal Jeevan Mission. The Digital India and cheap data have ensured many mobile phone facilities for crores of people of the country. All these houses and families are representing aspirational India. These are the strengths of India which will make the dream of a developed India come true. Brothers and sisters, It is equally important to have a strong thread of trust for development. Today there is permanent peace everywhere in the North East due to the efforts of the government. Many youths have left the path of violence and joined the path of development. The atmosphere of mistrust is retreating and the gap between hearts is disappearing in the North East. In order to build a developed India in the ‘Amrit Kaal’ of independence, we have to improve this environment further and take it far and wide. We have to move forward together with the spirit of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’. With this wish, I congratulate the countrymen and the people of Assam on this holy festival. Happy New Year to all of you! The Bihu dance by thousands of people, for which you have practised for many days, will take Assam to a new height. I am eagerly waiting for the next program. I will enjoy and so will be the countrymen watching it on TV. I am sure that now you are going to dominate the social media. Speak with me – Bharat Mata Ki Jai. It should resonate far and wide. Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Bharat Mata Ki Jai! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Vande Matram! Thanks a lot!