Guwahati: The BJP on Wednesday stepped up its attack on the Congress over its alleged soft stand on Rohingya-related issues, with Assam MLA Paramananda Rajbongshi invoking a past Assembly incident to question the opposition party’s priorities ahead of the upcoming elections.
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In a strongly worded social media post, Rajbongshi alleged that the “Congress-Rohingya nexus” in Assam was not new and cited an earlier episode in the Assam Legislative Assembly when Congress legislators had staged a walkout after the Speaker refused to allow an adjournment motion on the plight of Rohingyas from Myanmar.
The BJP leader referred to an incident in which Congress MLAs, including senior leader Abdul Khaleque, had sought to raise an adjournment motion regarding the humanitarian situation of Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar. The Speaker had declined permission, stating that the matter did not fall under the jurisdiction of the state Assembly as it was not a state subject.
Following the ruling, Congress MLAs had walked out of the House in protest. Rajbongshi claimed that the incident reflected the Congress party’s tendency to prioritise Rohingya issues over matters directly affecting the people of Assam.
Targeting Assam Congress president Gaurav Gogoi, Rajbongshi said the people of the state deserve a clear answer on whether the Congress would focus on the concerns of Assamese citizens or continue what he described as “appeasement politics.”
“Will Congress raise the issues of Assam, or will it continue the tradition of speaking louder for Rohingyas, Bangladeshis and illegal infiltrators than for Assamese people?” Rajbongshi asked in his post.
He further alleged that leaders associated with such positions in the past are again being accommodated within the Congress fold, and demanded that Gaurav Gogoi clarify whether the party would put “Assam first” if elected.
The BJP’s remarks come amid an intensifying political battle over identity, illegal infiltration, and minority politics in Assam, issues that are expected to dominate the run-up to the Assembly elections.