Sivasagar/Biswanath, March 30: AICC president Sonia Gandhi today lashed out at the BJP-led alliance in Assam as coming together of "two dangerous forces of communalism and divisiveness". She accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of "insulting" the people of the state and going back on promises of development while seeking votes for the Congress's continuity in the state.

In her first campaign in the state for the two-phase Assembly polls on April 4 and 11, Sonia addressed two massive rallies at Amguri in Sivasagar district of Upper Assam and at Biswanath Chariali in the newly created district of Biswanath, both of which go to the polls on April 4.

PCC president Anjan Dutta's daughter Ankita, a law graduate, is contesting from Amguri on a Congress ticket for the first time while Nurjamal Sarkar is the party's candidate from Biswanath Chariali constituency.

On the lines of her son Rahul's campaign in the state yesterday, Sonia claimed that the "era of peace and development" in the state, ushered in during the 15 years of Congress rule led by chief minister Tarun Gogoi, would be in "danger" if the BJP-AGP-BPF alliance came to power. "The composite culture of Assam is in danger because two dangerous forces have come together here. One is communal and the other is divisive."

"Assam has become a peaceful and developed state after 15 years of Congress rule. There was complete chaos in the state when the Congress took over the reins in 2001. The people of Assam should re-elect the Congress for a peaceful and prosperous state," she said, adding that the Congress was a party for all castes, creed and religions. She said Assam, which follows the ideology of Xankardeb and Ajan Fakir, walks the path of communal harmony.

Sonia accused the BJP government of "insulting" and "discriminating" against the people of Assam and of failing to fulfil their hopes and aspirations. "Can anybody forget how the Modi government refused to provide funds for relief during floods in Assam last year? Can you forget that the Modi government has reduced the funding of schemes made for uplift of Assam during the UPA government? Can you forget how the Modi government snatched the special state status of Assam, which was given by the UPA government during the Prime Ministership of Manmohan Singh?"

She highlighted the contributions of the Congress government and slammed the Modi government's U-turns on promises.

"We had given a very good system of autonomous council for Assam's development. The Modi government is making all efforts to finish the autonomy of these councils. The BJP has also curtailed several pro-people schemes started by the UPA government. Prime Minister Modi did not think of talking to Assam or other states of the Northeast on the Naga accord. Now nobody knows what happened to this accord," she said.

She criticised the BJP for failing to fulfil its promise of bringing back black money from foreign banks and not being able to control prices of essential commodities. "Black money is going out of the country, leave aside their promise to bring back the money. The BJP has also allowed bank defaulters to flee the country, she said in reference to Vijay Mallya.

She reminded the people that the BJP had initially opposed the land boundary agreement with Bangladesh but later signed it.

In another blistering attack, she said the motto of the BJP was to bring about a Congress-free India so it had toppled the elected Congress governments in Arunachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand in an "undemocratic and unconstitutional" manner. She accused the Centre of trying to topple the government in Assam too. "The BJP has no faith in the Constitution. They are anti-people and anti-Assam," she said.

Sonia went all out to connect with the tea and minority voters at Amguri and Biswanath Chariali.

"The whole nation starts its day with a sip of Assam tea. Modi too has acclaimed Assam tea. But he has no feelings about the hardships faced by the tea community. The Adivasi tea workers are looking at Modi to bring the acche din (good days). But Modi had planned to stop ration to the tea garden workers. It was due to the efforts of Tarun Gogoi that the proposal did not come into effect. Gogoi has also increased the minimum wages of the tea garden workers," she said. She also asked when the Modi government wouldgrant Scheduled Caste status to tea garden workers.

Chief minister Tarun Gogoi, who was present at the meeting, claimed that the Congress would retain power in Assam while PCC president Anjan Dutta claimed the party would win 71 seats and form the government for the fourth consecutive term.

In New Delhi, the BJP accused the Congress chief of trying to divert attention from the "failures" of her party's government in Assam by attacking the Modi dispensation, reports PTI.

Hitting back at Sonia's sharp attack on the Centre, the BJP alleged that neither the Congress chief nor party vice-president Rahul Gandhi had anything good to talk about their party's 15-year rule in the state and believed in only abusing Modi.

BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said the NDA government had taken solid measures like increasing minimum pension to Rs 1,000, announcing payment off 8.33 per cent towards provident fund of employees having salary up to Rs 15,000 and introducing new life and health insurance schemes while the UPA government had not done anything for the poor.

"She should rather bespeaking about what her government has done for Assam. There are no jobs, not even drinking water for people in the state. There is no basic infrastructure and a lot of corruption. She is attacking the Modi government to deflect attention from the Assam government's failures," he said.

The Congress, he alleged, had become like a "termite-infested" tree and said no amount of attack on the Prime Minister would cure the Opposition party.