Siddhartha: Congress yet to shrug off Nehru mentality towards Assam

By our Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI, Feb 12: BJP’s tiol spokesperson Siddhartha Bhattacharyya has said that the Congress’ mentality towards Assam that was reflected in India’s first Prime Minister Jawharlal Nehru’s indelible line ‘my heart goes out to the people of Assam’ in All India Radio during the 1962 Sino-Indian War still persists. The leaders of Congress still take Assam no better than ‘Kala Pani’, a cellular jail during Colonial India.

Talking to The Sentinel today, Bhattacharyya reacted sharply to what Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) and AIUDF president Badruddin Ajmal said after the visit of BJP’s tiol president Amit Shah to the State. The State BJP leader took Gogoi by the horns for the latter coming down heavily on the BJP leaders visiting the BTAD frequently, and said: “The Congress leaders of Assam have utterly failed to depict the true picture of the State before their ‘crown prince’ Rahul Gandhi and Medam Sonia Gandhi. For the members of the Nehru-Gandhi family, Assam is still Kala Pani. The State is still treated as a Colony by the Congress. The Congress leaders scarcely visit Assam. When there’s no crying need, Congress leaders don’t visit the State. They don’t like leaders of other parties visiting the State as well. The party leaders still have the mentality of Nehruji bidding farewell to Assam during the 1962 Sino-Indian war. Thrust of the BJP policy is – Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash. We want equal development of all States and areas taking along all ethnic groups. Based on that principle, the BJP leaders visit all areas in Assam. Union ministers and BJP’s tiol leaders keep visiting the State to take stock of the problems afflicting it so as to ensure its development. They visit the state, and will keep on visiting for its  development. Such visits bring about awareness among the people, posing a threat to the Congress as the leaders of the party visit the State only when elections are near.”

Bhattacharyya said: “What does the knee-jerk reaction of both the Congress and the AIUDF to BJP president Amit Shah’s statement that Assam will be free from Bangladeshis only if the BJP comes to power in the State mean? Their reactions amply indicate that both the parties darlings of Bangaldeshi voters.”

While AIUDF president reacted to Shah’s statement on Bangladeshis saying that the BJP talks infiltration from Bangladesh only when elections are near, the Congress maintains that ‘there’s not a single Bangladeshi in Assam’. “There’s nothing to be surprised to hear the Congress-AIUDF singing the same chorus on Bangladeshis illegally staying in the State. One should remember that the AIUDF was part of the UPA Government at the Centre. With the Assembly elections coming closer in Assam, the two parties are inching towards each other,” he said.

On the APCC’ declaration of making Assam free from the BJP while reacting to Amit Shah’s call to make the State free from the Congress, Bhattacharyya said: “The people of Assam are well aware of the Congress in its past 60 years of misrule. Now they are ready to say the Congress a good riddance. This is what the leaders of the party are apprehensive of.”