The Congress and BJP on Wednesday exchanged several barbs amid a crucial contest in Assam where the Assembly elections are scheduled to be held on April 9.
Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi, who was in Assam to attend an election rally, accused the Himanta Biswa Sarma government of corruption and alleged the presence of “mafia rule” in the state.
The Congress leader, an MP from Wayanad, also raised the issue of Zubin Garg’s death and said seeking justice for a respected personality is a political duty and not opportunism. Priyanka Gandhi made these remarks while addressing a rally in Nazira, Assam.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi made a sneak show and accused Congress of being the “root cause of corruption”.
Also read: “Beware of Congress, it is planning to pass a dangerous law in Assam”: PM Modi
Modi claimed that Congress, if it comes to power in Assam, will make a law to protect infiltrators. Addressing a rally at Jogamukh in Dhemaji, the Prime Minister claimed that the Congress aims to “convert the majority community into minority and create a permanent vote bank for infiltrators”.
“Congress leaders openly say they will bring in a new law in Assam to protect infiltrators and openly support them,” Modi said.
“For the party, there are two families – one in Delhi and one in Assam, and their priority is the interest of their families and not the interest of the people,” the Prime Minister said, referring to the Gandhi family and the family of state Congress president Gaurav Gogoi.
He said the Congress was “opposed to development and ‘Bharastachar ki Janani’ (mother of corruption)”. “They (Congress) have reached a settlement with ‘atma’ (spirit), ‘shan’ (pride), ‘bihchan’ (identity) and ‘suraksha’ (security) in Assam,” Modi claimed, according to PTI.
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Priyanka Gandhi targets Himanta government
Priyanka Gandhi criticized the Assam government, accusing it of corruption and alleging that the state government was working under the “rule of mafia and unions”.
The Congress leader said that the people of Assam were fed up with the BJP government and wanted the state to rise.
Priyanka Gandhi said: “This is a corrupt government. People can see how everything is done through threats. There is mafia rule, union rule. I think people are fed up… They want the same Assam, which was there before, to rise. They want a new government that will only serve the people. People know that our leader is honest and they want to deliver it.”
Also read: Don’t forgive Congress that treated Assam like a stepmother: Rajnath
Talking about popular singer Zubin Garg, who died in a swimming accident, she said that the Congress government, if elected to power, would provide justice to the Assamese singer.
“The Congress government wants Zubin Garg ji to get justice. Within 100 days, once our government is formed, we will get justice to him. Today, all the local ‘bhumiputra’ have received temporary land titles. We will give permanent land titles instead of temporary ones to 10,000 local sons of the soil,” she said at a rally.
Assam is witnessing a direct competition between the current BJP-led NDA government and the Congress for the 126-seat assembly.
