Indian PM kicks off assembly poll campaign in NE India

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi salutes to audience at an event organized by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) during his visit in Guwahati, capital of Indian northeastern state Assam, Jan 19, 2016. [Photo/Xinhua]

NEW DELHI -- Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi Tuesday kicked off campaign for the assembly polls in the northeastern state of Assam by slamming the Congress party which has been in power in the state for the past 15 years.

"Those who could not do anything in the last 15 years expect me to do everything in 15 months. None of the promises made to people of Assam for 12 to 13 years have been fulfilled. It has become a fashion not to give account of your own work but blame others," Modi said.

The prime minister, who was addressing a political rally in the state's Kokrajhar district, promised fast-track development in the state. "My three-point programme for Assam is - development, development, development," he said.

The country's main opposition party Congress has been ruling Assam for the past 15 years. However, India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party has seen an increase in its support base in the past two years and has won half of Assam's 14 parliament seats in 2014.

Experts say it's a 50-50 chance for the BJP in Assam, and unless it ties with some regional parties, the party will not be in a position to muster majority in the assembly polls. But the party has not yet spelt out any pre-poll alliance.