The Assam Congress has snapped its ties with the AIUDF ahead of the by-elections to the vacant Assembly seats in the state.
The Assam Congress broke its alliance with the AIUDF saying that “AIUDF leadership’s continuous and mysterious praise of the BJP party and the Chief Minister has affected the public perception of the Congress party”.
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The Assam Congress said: “Mahajot alliance partner AIUDF’s behaviour and attitude in relation to BJP party has baffled the members of the Congress party.”
“…after a long discussion the Core Commiittee members of Assam Pradesh Congress Committee unanimously decided that AIUDF can no longer remain an alliance partner of Mahajot and in this regards will send intimation to AICC,” the Assam Congress added.
This decision was taken during a core committee meeting of the Assam Congress held at the party’s Legislative room in the Assembly House in Dispur on Monday.
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The meeting was chaired by Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah and attended by top party leaders from the state including leader of opposition Debabrata Saikia, MLA Rakibul Hussain and MP Gaurav Gogoi.
“As decided in the last Core Committee meeting, today’s meeting also reiterated the earlier decision to give full authority to the PCC president, along with Working Presidents and Chairman of the LAC Constituencies constituted for the forthcoming By- Elections to take decisions in the matters of election strategy, candidate selection etc,” a statement from the Assam Congress further stated.
By-elections have been necessitated in five Assam Assembly seats due to deaths and resignations of legislators.
By-polls to the five Assam Assembly seats are likely to be held by the end of the year.
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Meanwhile, the core committee meeting of the Assam Congress also discussed the issue of demand for grant of ST status to six indigenous communities of the state.
The Assam Congress threatened to launch an agitation if the six indigenous communities of the state are not granted ST status by the BJP-led Central government.
“The BJP has deprived the six indigenous communities of Assam from the ST status as promised earlier. Meanwhile, the central BJP government has passed a bill in the Lok Sabha to provie ST status to 12 communities of Arunachal Pradesh. But no proposal has been taken for the 6 indigenous communities of the state,” the Assam Congress said.
It added: “This slight of our people is strongly condemned by the APCC. If it is not done, the Congress party has decided today to organize a protest throughout the state.”
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The Assam Congress further slammed the state government over the high rate of crimes against women and “deteriorating law and order situation in the state”.
“The killing of truck drivers in Dima Hasao by insurgents and the daylight murder of the girl student Nandita Saikia in Dhemaji with a machete proves that the government has failed to control the law and order situation in the state,” the Assam Congress said.
It added: “Women are not safe during the BJP government’s tenure. In the last 3 years, Assam has secured first position in the country in cases of crimes against women, which is a matter of shame for people of the state.”
“…insurgency is beginning to rear its ugly head again during the term of the BJP government. We demand that the government take firm measures to root out insurgency and re- establish peace in the state,” the Assam Congress further said.