Written by Asim Kamal
Slamming the BJP for its criticism of his get together’s alliance with the AIUDF for the upcoming state polls, Congress’ Assam unit chief Ripun Bora on Monday mentioned there was nothing incorrect in aligning with the Badruddin Ajmal-led outfit because it was not communal and can’t be thought to be an “untouchable”.
Bora additionally mentioned that “winds of change” had been blowing in Assam and expressed confidence that the Congress, together with its allies — the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF), the CPI, the CPI(M), the CPI(ML) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha — will win over 101 out of the 126 Assembly seats within the polls probably in March-April.
In an interview with PTI, Bora mentioned it was not the Congress’ conference to announce a chief ministerial face prematurely and the get together will determine on who would be the chief minister solely after elections.
The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) chief lashed out on the BJP for attacking the Congress over its alliance with the AIUDF, saying that whereas the BJP had up to now aligned with the PDP in Jammu and Kashmir, it was questioning the Congress’ tie-up with the Ajmal-led get together.
“The BJP people aligned with the PDP which does not accept the Indian flag. Aligning with that party is not an offence, but the Congress aligning with the AIUDF in Assam is an offence,” he requested.
In Assam, the BJP is sharing energy with the AIUDF in at the very least three Zila Parishad districts, Bora argued.
“What is the harm in aligning with the AIUDF, they are not unconstitutional, they are not untouchable. How can you say they are communal. If you respect your own religion, you are not communal. The BJP is communal,” he alleged.
The BJP is targeted on communalisation, however for the folks of Assam, the principle challenge is to avoid wasting the state due to the best way the BJP and the RSS have attacked the identification, tradition and heritage of Assam by the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), Bora mentioned.
The CAA goes to destroy the whole social cloth of Assam, it’ll divide the folks and create communal disturbance in addition to battle between completely different castes, communities and religions within the state, he alleged, including that the CAA is not going to serve any function for the folks.
“The CAA will bring threat to the language and to the existence of the culture of the people of Assam. Therefore, even though the BJP has declared that after elections they are going to implement the CAA, but we in the Congress have said that after the election if our Congress party comes to power, we will not allow the implementation of the CAA in Assam,” Bora mentioned.
On Sunday at a rally right here, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had additionally mentioned his get together will shield each precept of the Assam Accord and won’t let the CAA be carried out if voted to energy within the upcoming meeting polls.
Bora additionally hit out on the BJP over the problem of the National Register of Citizens (NRC) for Assam, saying it has been an extended standing demand of Assam however the BJP has stopped the NRC after ultimate publication.
The Congress’ stand is evident that the NRC, the ultimate listing which has come out with 3.11 crore folks of Assam, ought to be accepted, Bora mentioned.
“Secondly, side by side we have said that 19 lakh names which are not there, all of them are not foreigners, most of them are Indians, we have demanded that those people as per the rule of NRC should be given an opportunity of appealing before court so that they can prove themselves as Indian citizens,” he mentioned.
Asked when the seat sharing association between the Congress and its allies shall be finalised, Bora mentioned he can’t share the small print of inside deliberations however it will likely be sealed quickly.
Some small disputes and variations are there which shall be sorted out, he mentioned.
Bora additionally mentioned the alliance will “very soon” come out with an attraction to the folks elaborating the problems for which the six events have come on a standard platform, including that the CPI(M) has some reservations about calling it a ‘common minimum programme’.
Asked if a chief ministerial face shall be introduced, Bora mentioned the Congress conference is that it doesn’t undertaking a CM.
“It is a party of internal democracy. So the party will decide who will be chief minister only after elections, that is the democratic way. It is not only the case with Assam but in other states also the party has followed this,” he asserted.
On the Congress’ probabilities within the upcoming Assembly polls, he mentioned the “winds of change are blowing” within the state and there’s a “tremendous undercurrent” in favour of the Congress and its allies.
“People are scared of coming out openly (against the BJP) as they are being threatened and blackmailed that if you go with the Congress you will not get benefits,” he alleged.
Accusing the BJP of creating false guarantees, Bora mentioned the folks of Assam are feeling a “sense of betrayal”, realising that the ruling get together has solely been making “false promises”.
The six party-alliance is not going to simply get a transparent majority however is assured of getting 101 plus seats, Bora mentioned.
The APCC has introduced that it’ll contest the forthcoming state polls in alliance with 5 events the AIUDF, the CPI, the CPI(M), the CPI(ML) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha to oust the ruling BJP from energy.
