The Assam chief minister admitted that the Congress was holding talks with the AIUDF, which has a significant base among the state’s over 34 per cent Muslim population, but felt that the party is “soft” towards the BJP.
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He addressed a massive rally of party workers in Dibrugarh city of eastern Assam in presence of the party’s organizing secretary Ram Lal, Assam BJP president Sarbananda Sonowal and all other important party leaders in the state.
Shah pledged that a BJP government in Assam would be committed to improve the dismal power scenario, grossly inefficient healthcare system, directionless education scenario, alarming unemployment problem and solve the burning problem of infiltration by illegal migrants from Bangladesh.
Issue of illegal immigrants is one of the BJP’s major poll planks in Assam.
With Assembly elections in Assam scheduled for next year, the State’s Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi Friday met the Congress president Sonia Gandhi to raise the impending danger of communal polarisation. “I want to ask you can the Congress and the AIUDF can deliver a Bangladeshi-free Assam”, he posed before the audience.
“Justifying the land swap deal with Bangladesh, Shah said this will enable the country to secure the border and build fencing along the worldwide border”.
Apart from raising emotive issues, the BJP president also tried to project his party-led government at the Centre as pro-development.
Though Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi had two-three rounds of closed-door meetings with AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal, Mr Dutta said, “As far as the Congress is concerned, we have not approached the AIUDF for any kind of alliance as has been alleged by the BJP”.
He also claimed only the BJP can provide a nationalistic and patriotic government in a frontier state like Assam.
Slamming the BJP, he said that they are resorting to “Oral Terrorism”.
Replying to a question, Dutta said that the Congress continues to enjoy a strong foothold in Upper Assam and this time their seats in Lower Assam too will increase.
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Describing the BJP charges as a “misinformation campaign”, State Congress president Anjan Dutta on Saturday ruled out any pre-poll tie-up with the AIUDF.
