Guwahati: Congress slams BJP for allegation on opposition to IIM

Staff reporter

Guwahati: The Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) has strongly dismissed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) allegation that Congress MPs opposed the setting up of an Indian Institute of Management (IIM) in Assam. Congress MP from Nagaon, Pradyut Bordoloi, clarified that no Congress MP from Assam has ever opposed such an initiative and termed BJP’s claim a “deliberate distortion of facts.”

Bordoloi asserted that Congress has always supported premier educational institutions in Assam and the Northeast, and in fact played a key role in establishing them. “It was under Congress governments that IIT Guwahati, NIT Silchar, Tezpur University and Silchar Central University were set up,” he said.

He further said, “In reality, what happened in the Lok Sabha was exactly the opposite of what the BJP is claiming. Opposition MPs were protesting against the BJP’s misuse of the SIR and the Election Commission’s “vote theft.” Amidst this uproar, the government hurriedly passed the Indian Institutes of Management (Amendment) Bill, 2025, by a voice vote in just one minute—without any discussion or accountability, an unconstitutional act in which the BJP has become an expert! Now, the BJP is twisting this and falsely claiming that Congress opposed the IIM.”

“We are not against development. We are against the BJP’s corruption, its exploitation of common people, and its headline-grabbing politics without real results. There is no clarity on where the IIM will be established, how much funding will be allocated, or when it will actually become functional. The AIIMS announced at Changsari in 2017 has still not been completed even after eight years. Assam’s Gross Enrolment Ratio in higher education is just 17.5%, far below the national average of 27%, a reflection of the government’s neglect.  For the BJP, ‘development’ is a slogan. For us, it is a responsibility. We will always welcome an IIM in Assam, but we will never stop asking tough questions to ensure real outcomes for our youth,” Bordoloi said.

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