Why does Modi need a safe seat to contest, asks Tarun Gogoi

Guwahati, Mar 17: Assam Chief Minister

on Monday questioned why

's Prime Ministerial candidate

needed a "safe seat" to contest the Lok Sabha elections.

"If Modi is so sure about his win and there is a Modi wave in the country, then why is he looking for a safe seat? He can contest anywhere in India and win," he told reporters.

Launching an attack on BJP and Narendra Modi, Gogoi released a 'White Paper on Contributions of NDA and UPA Governments in Assam During Their Respective Periods' here.

"The fact sheet will speak volumes about how the state was in a precarious situation during the tenure of NDA on various fronts. "Assam faced most injustice during the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre and it was a black chapter in the history of the state," he said.

Gogoi also accused Modi of spreading divisive politics and said he was not suitable for the Prime Minister's office to lead a pluralistic India.

"As Rahul (Gandhi) said, NDA and BJP is good at marketing themselves. But Modi is now getting exposed by everyone. Mamata (Banerjee), Akhilesh (Yadav) and Aam Aadmi Party are exposing Modi," he said.

On the foreigners' issue, Gogoi said that the NDA government had decided to close the office of the Commissioner of Border.

"He (Modi) always says that we are not doing anything to evict illegal migrants ... The number of Foreigners Tribunal was 11 in 2003 from 4 in 1998. However, we increased it to 100 in last year from 36 in 2004," Gogoi said.

Asked about Congress' performance in Assam, Gogoi said, "We are targetting 12 seats, but 10 is sure. Rahul even said if we try hard, we can win all the 14 seats."

According to the white paper, Assam attracted a whopping Rs 1,90,620.38 crore of central funds during Manmohan Singh-led UPA government since 2004 compared to Rs 32,088.33 crore provided by the previous Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA regime.

PTI