Senior Congress leader and leader of opposition in Assam Legislative Assembly Debabrata Saikia condemned the AGP’s move to ally with BJP for the Lok Sabha polls and said that it is unfortunate that the party is going against the resolutions adopted at the state-wide citizens’ convention, which highlighted the necessity of defeating the undemocratic and anti-Assam RSS-BJP combine in the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections.
“I believe that the message sent out from the convention by the distinguished intellectuals, journalists, social workers and political leaders ought to have been respected and accepted by AGP in particular. The AGP had parted ways with BJP in the state over the contentious Citizenship (Amendment) Bill, 2016 but now the lure of power has prevailed over the responsibilities of the regional party,” Saikia said.
“By joining hands with BJP once again, AGP has resorted to an unforgivable betrayal of the people of Assam. After all, BJP’s national president, Amit Shah and state unit president, Ranjit Dass and other senior leaders have categorically declared that BJP will enact the CAB into law if re-elected at the Centre. Therefore, BJP’s stance regarding the CAB has not changed at all. Yet, AGP has shamelessly joined hands with BJP despite knowing that the CAB will be enacted as law if the BJP retains power at the Centre,” he said.
“Enactment of the CAB as law will automatically nullify the Assam Accord which was signed by leaders of the present-day AGP. The AGP, however, is not bothered about such crucial factors. In my opinion, this is the most repulsive instance of the politics of opportunism and hypocrisy,” Saikia added.
He said that the Congress has stayed true to the interests of the people of Assam by playing the pivotal role in thwarting the CAB in the Rajya Sabha and, thereby, safeguarding the interests and sentiments of the people of Assam and the North-east.
“Certain vested interests are striving to portray the Congress as a silent spectator to the CAB imbroglio, but the fact remains that the Congress mounted an uncompromising opposition to the CAB in accordance with the sentiments of all right-thinking sections of the people of Assam and foiled the BJP’s designs to foist the CAB on Assam and the North-east during the recently-concluded Budget Session of Parliament,” he added.