Ruling party BJP's performance has been below par in 2018 Panchayat Polls: Upamanyu Hazarika

Guwahati: Prabajan Virodhi Manch convener and senior advocate Upamanyu Hazarika in a press statement stated that the results of the recent Panchayat polls in Assam shows that the ruling party BJP's performance has been below par. In the 2013 Panchayat elections the then ruling party, Congress after 12 years in power had won 50.49% of the seats whereas after two and a half years in power the BJP has won 41.94% of the seats and with the Congress close behind at 34%.

Hazarika also stated that in every category of seats present ruling party BJP has lagged behind the earlier Congress performance ranging from 15.84% for Gaon Panchayat member seats to 22.34% for Zila Parishad.

Hazarika highlighting the figure also stated that with 50.49% of the seats Congress could win only three of the fourteen Lok Sabha seats in 2014, whereas the BJP won seven.

He also claimed that this year Panchayat elections were fought on local issues and candidates, the issues for general elections being different, however, the chief minister and his cabinet mounted a campaign akin to a general election crisscrossing the state in helicopters, organising large rallies, huge expenditure.

He also stated in the press statement that in Bengali dominated Hojai district, the Citizenship Amendment Bill has not garnered any electoral dividend with less than 40% of the seats being won by the BJP. Result is that the party which won the 2014 and 2016 elections on the clear promise of protecting indigenous identity find their own electoral identity slipping drastically and prime reason being that not only has the state government reneged on its election promises but actually taken anti-indigenous steps.

"This is one lesson, parties like BJP and AGP which come to power on an anti-infiltration platform need to learn from the Congress, which has always been faithful to its Bangladeshi vote bank," stated Hazarika in a press release.

He further mentioned that former Chief Minister of Assam, Tarun Gogoi insists on including all foreigners coming till 2014 to be given Citizenship and included in the NRC. "In fact during his fifteen years of rule, he ensured Bangladeshi intrusion into Upper Assam with settlements in Kaziranga, Numuligarh, Sarupathar right up to Merapani in Golaghat, thus creating a reliable Bangladeshi vote bank for his son Gaurav Gogoi in Kaliabor Lok Sabha Constituency.