Guwahati: Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi arrived in Assam’s Guwahati on Wednesday morning to participate in the party’s Political Affairs Committee (PAC) meeting.
Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi welcomed both leaders at Guwahati airport.
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Alongside the PAC meeting, Kharge and Gandhi will attend sessions with Pradesh Congress Committee (PCC) office bearers, Members of Parliament, MLAs, and Congress workers.
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Speaking to a news agency, Gogoi emphasized that Congress in Assam will stand up for justice for those living under what he called a “regime of fear and terror” enforced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government. He vowed the party would fight for the dignity of people facing persecution.
Gogoi accused Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma’s administration of illegally transferring nearly 17,000 acres of land to industrialists from outside Assam without consulting local communities. “The CM and his associates are grabbing land from the poor,” Gogoi stated. “They are displacing tribals and minorities, and Congress will fight to protect the self-respect, dignity, and land rights of Assam’s people.”
On Tuesday, CM Sarma reported that the government had reclaimed 1,19,548 bighas of land from encroachers during an ongoing eviction drive. He clarified that 84,743 bighas in forest and national park areas have been freed since his government took office.
Sarma also criticized the Trinamool Congress (TMC) for accusing his government of being anti-Bengali because of its strict stance on illegal infiltration of Bangladeshi Muslims. He dismissed the accusation as a tactic to shield alleged infiltrators.