Assam Visit: Modi Slams Congress, Opens ELF
- By Thetripurapost Desk, Guwahati
- Feb 14, 2026
- 1182
Prime Minister Narendra Modi arrived in Assam on Saturday for a strategically significant visit that combined pointed political messaging with the unveiling of key infrastructure projects, months ahead of the state Assembly elections.
Addressing a public gathering in Guwahati, the Prime Minister launched a scathing attack on the Congress, alleging that successive defence procurements under its tenure were marred by large-scale corruption. He asserted that the party had compromised national security, claiming that major arms acquisitions during its rule were entangled in scams running into thousands of crores.
Earlier in the day, Modi landed at Chabua Airfield before proceeding to Dibrugarh aboard an Indian Air Force C-130 aircraft. The aircraft subsequently touched down at the newly developed Emergency Landing Facility (ELF) along the Moran Bypass at approximately 10 a.m. Situated about 300 kilometres from the China border, the airstrip holds considerable strategic value from a defence standpoint.
In a display underscoring India’s enhanced operational readiness, 16 fighter aircraft—including Rafale and Sukhoi jets—conducted a 30-minute aerial manoeuvre over the Moran Highway. The exercise featured live demonstrations of landing and take-off operations directly from the highway, highlighting the evolving doctrine of dual-use infrastructure.
The Prime Minister later inaugurated the Kumar Bhaskar Varman Bridge spanning the Brahmaputra River, along with the temporary campus of the Indian Institute of Management Guwahati.
This marks Modi’s third visit to Assam in the past three months, reflecting the heightened political stakes in the run-up to the Assembly polls. The NDA has retained power in the state since 2016, bringing an end to the 15-year Congress administration that governed from 2001 to 2016.
Constructed along a 4.4-kilometre stretch of National Highway 127, the Moran Emergency Landing Facility represents India’s first such dual-purpose corridor designed for both military and civilian aircraft. Engineered to accommodate fighter jets weighing up to 40 tonnes and transport aircraft with a maximum take-off weight of 74 tonnes, the ELF significantly augments India’s strategic mobility. In times of conflict or national emergency, the highway can be swiftly converted into a functional airstrip, thereby reinforcing both logistical resilience and defence preparedness.