BJP misleading voters with false propaganda, distorting Assam's history: Gogoi

From our Staff Correspondent

Dibrugarh, March 26: Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi , star campaigner for the Congress candidates in Upper Assam, lambasted Bharatiya Jata Party (BJP) for misleading  as well as  confusing the voters with false propaganda and distorted history of Assam .   

Ridiculing BJP’s Vision Document which was released by the Union Fince Minister Arun Jaitely on Friday, Gogoi stated that it was full of contradictions. The document has no significance in context of election as it is comprised of some assurances and promises, not as the party’s manifesto.  

“Party may fulfil the promises or may not but no one is accountable for non-implementation of the promises made in the documents,” Gogoi said.  Referring  to the much-hyped demand of granting special status of the State, the Chief Minister said that the status was not only granted to Assam  but to other few States of the Northeast and other States , but since assumption of power at the Centre by the BJP , the NDA government discarded this provision to them.

“I was vocal against the Central Government’s decision to curtail the special status to the State and had even staged dhar in Delhi to lodge our protest against it,” he said. “As a result,” Gogoi said, “The Modi government is ready to award the status in 2016-17.”  Citing a number of contradictions posed by the BJP in their Vision Document, the Chief Minister in his typical style claimed, “Our war is going on in the field but BJP’s war strategy to win the election is by duping electorates with false promises and assurances and to get the people’s support by creating confusion among them.”

Gogoi, answering a query, confidently claimed that the Congress would get the absolute majority in the ensuing election securing  at least two seats more than what the party fared in the last election. “We will form the next government in the State on our own,” said the Chief Minister.

He was critical of BJP president Amit Shah’s statement that founder of Ahom dysty, King Su-kha-pha had defeated the Moguls in the Saraighat Battle and stated that it was not only historical distortion but an insult to the self-esteem of the Assamese people.

“Shah may be ignorant about the history of Ahom but local leaders should have briefed   him appropriately,” he said. In the same breathe, the Chief Minister said that the chief ministerial candidate should teach their party’s imported campaign leaders by providing them with correct information and data.

Coming down heavily on the recent BJP-led alliance with AGP, BPF and few factions of  indigenous groups, Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi said, “How  can Sarbanda Sonowal, if he comes to power as Chief Minister, impart governce keeping AGP’s Prafulla Mahanta in right and new BJP leader Himanta Biswa Sarma and BPF supremo Hagrama Mohilary in the left?”

Referring to the alliance with AIUDF, Gogoi denied the same and reiterated his claim that the Congress would form the next government on its own.

When Gogoi’s attention was drawn to BJP president Amit Shah’s statement that Gogoi was a flop Chief Minister in the country, he retorted and said, “Why Union Minister Rajth Singh handed over the India Today prize to me for leading the best developed State in the country if I was a flop Chief Minister?”  He further said, “If my government fails in all spheres then why is BJP sending all important leaders to the State on the eve of the ensuing election and spending crores of rupees to win the electoral battle?”

Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi’s press meet was held at a local hotel on Saturday. It was attended by AICC spokesperson and one of the general secretaries, and former minister, Bhakta Charan Das and district Congress committee president, Dr Anowar Hussain .

The Chief Minister has been in the election trail in Upper Assam since March 24. He had addressed several elections meeting at Dibrujan and other places with APCC State president, Anjan Dutta, Lahowal MLA, Prithivi Majhi, and president ACMS, and party’s candidate for Moran LAC , Paban Singh Ghatowar.