Senior Congress leader Tarun Gogoi on Friday called Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “liar” for saying that there is no detention camp in the country and claimed that the BJP-led government at the Centre had sanctioned ₹46 crore for one in Assam’s Goalpara district.
On Gauhati HC order
Mr. Gogoi said his government in Assam had set up detention camps in the State as per a Gauhati High Court order. Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee had suggested such camps for illegal immigrants, he said.
“Mr. Modi is a liar,” Mr. Gogoi said at a press conference here referring to a rally by the Prime Minister in the national capital in which he had said that there is no detention camp in the country.
“In 2018, the Narendra Modi government had sanctioned ₹46 crore for the largest detention centre at Matia in Goalpara district of Assam for housing 3,000 illegal immigrants. Suddenly he says there is no detention camp,” Mr. Gogoi said.
“Why did the BJP government in 2018 sanction ₹46 crore? This shows Mr. Modi is a liar,” he added.
He said the Congress government which he helmed in the State had set up detention camps in Assam as per the directions of the Gauhati High Court in 2008.
Mr. Gogoi had led three consecutive governments in the State from 2001 to 2016.
“They (BJP) say these (detention) camps were set up by the Congress. We set them up as per the order of the High Court to detain people who were declared ‘foreigners’ by the Foreigners’ Tribunal,” he added.
