We're in Congress-led alliance for 2019: Ajmal

GUWAHATI, Oct 23: It is more than official that AIUDF has already stitched it up with the Congress-led 18-party grand alliance for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The party, however, is going it alone in the 2018 panchayat poll in Assam. The eighteen parties have huddled together to defeat the BJP in 2019.

Talking to newsmen in the city on Monday coming from the party’s general council meeting at Silpgram here, Ajmal said: “We’re going to be a member-party of the grand alliance being led by the Congress for the 2019 Lok Sabha poll. The 18 parties have already held four meetings in Delhi. On November 8, all the member-parties are going to stage a tionwide protest against GST, demonetization and rise in prices.”

When asked on the adverse comments against him made by former Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Ajmal said: “Gogoi is the elder brother of Mohan Bhagawat. He was the first to have greeted rendra Modi with a bouquet and a gamosa when the latter had bece the Prime Minister. That incident alone makes it clear what ties Gogoi and Modi share. I’ve sent the CDs of Gogoi’s recent outbursts against me to Soniaji and Rahul Gandhi.”

On Gogoi’s slur on him tagging him as anti-Muslim, Ajmal said: “It isn’t me. It’s Gogoi who is anti-Muslim. It’s Gogoi who paved the way to Dispur for the BJP. We did want a grand alliance in the last Assembly poll in Assam taking a cue from the one in Bihar. We even cut the number of seats to contest to 20. It was Gogoi who didn’t allow the grand alliance to get its shape. Gogoi has some lieutents who work for the BJP, and that let the Congress to win only 25 seats.”

On the administration apprehending some minority people in Majuli following doubt on their tiolities, Ajmal said: “They are genuine Indians, daily wage-earners. With BJP in power in the State, we’ve to display documents in favour of our citizenship hung from the neck.”

When asked on NRC Coorditor Prateek Hazela informing the Supreme Court of India that there might be law-and-order problem in Assam after the publication of the draft NRC, Ajmal said: “How come he knows that there’ll be law-and-order problem? Has he dropped the mes of any genuine Indians? Doesn’t it smack of the saying ‘guilty mind is always suspicious’? In the event of major lapses in the draft NRC, we’ll move the Prime Minister and the Home Minister.”

Reacting to the controversy over Jorhat MP Kamakhya Tasha’s statement against Gandhi-Nehru, Ajmal said the MP has lost his mental balance. “Even rendra Modi and Mohan Bhagawat never uttered any such words against Gandhi-Nehru,” he said.

Lauding Tezpur MP RP Sarmah, Ajmal said: “The MP is talking sense nowadays, which is why Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal and Fince Minister Biswa Sarma utter no word against him. Bad omen for the BJP is at work. After its defeat in the local poll in Maharasthra and a bye-poll in Punjab, the Congress is set to win in 2018 Gujarat Assembly poll.”