Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to arrive in Guwahati on Saturday for a two-day visit to Assam during which he will launch several projects, interact with BJP workers and address public meetings, officials said.
The PM will unveil an 80-foot-tall statue of Assam's first chief minister Gopinath Bardoloi, sculpted by eminent artist Ram Sutar, outside the new terminal of the airport named after him, they said.
Sutar, who died on Wednesday at the age of 101 years, had also sculpted a 125-ft-high statue of legendary Ahom general Lachit Barphukan, who had defeated the Mughals, at Jorhat. This was also unveiled by the PM in March 2024.
After unveiling the statue, he will inaugurate the Rs 4,000-crore new terminal of the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi International Airport and spend around 15 minutes there, the officials said.
The Prime Minister will also address a public meeting just outside the terminal building on Saturday.
After the meeting, Modi will proceed for a road show towards the BJP's state headquarters in Bashista area, where he will interact with party workers.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma claimed this is the first time that a Prime Minister will visit a BJP office in the state, and it is a “historic occasion” for the party.
The interaction with the BJP workers is significant with the assembly elections scheduled early next year, a party functionary said.
The Prime Minister will spend the night at the state guest house in Koinadhora in Khanapara area of the city.
The second day of the visit will begin with Modi's interaction with 25 meritorious students of various schools as he will participate in the 'Pariksha pe Charcha' programme for around half an hour while sailing on the Brahmaputra river on a cruise ship 'Charaideo'.
The PM will visit the newly constructed 'Swahid Smarak Kshetra' in memory of 860 people who died during the Assam movement, a six-year-long violent anti-foreigner agitation that began in 1979, and offer his tributes.
The PM will also visit the martyrs' gallery, where the busts of the 860 people who lost their lives in the movement have been placed, and will garland the statue of the first martyr Khargeswar Talukdar.
He will then leave for Dibrugarh and Namrup, where he will participate in the 'Bhumi pujan' of the Rs 12,000 crore ammonia-urea fertiliser plant, which marks a substantial impetus to the state's growth and development, the officials said.
The PM will also address a public meeting at Namrup before leaving for New Delhi.
“A warm welcome to Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji to the land of Maa Kamakhya and Mahapurush Srimanta Sankardev," the chief minister said on social media platform X.
During Saturday and Sunday, “Adarniya Modi ji will usher in mega development initiatives for Assam and pay tributes to our brave martyrs," he added.
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