GUWAHATI: Senior BJP leader and Assam Cabinet minister, Himanta Biswa Sarma took potshots at the Congress, alleging that the Opposition party was engaged in a “dangerous game” of communal politics in Assam and playing into the hands of separatists in Kashmir.
“In Kashmir, they are allying with the ‘Gupkar Gang’ (People’s Alliance for Gupkar Declaration – PAGD). In Assam, Congress (which has tied up with the All India United Democratic Front to take on the ruling party in next year’s Assembly polls) is supporting the communal agenda of (AIUDF chief) Badruddin Ajmal,” Sarma said while addressing mediapersons before leaving for New Delhi for a meeting with the BJP central leadership on Thursday evening.
PAGD is an alliance of seven parties in Jammu and Kashmir which is seeking the restoration of the erstwhile state’s special status, which was revoked by the Centre in August last year.
“The central leadership of Congress needs to answer and take a stand on whose side the party is with, or else we will be constrained to come to a conclusion that the Congress is playing communal agenda in Assam and separatist politics in Kashmir,” he said.
Sarma alleged that Congress has “gone far away from the days of the freedom movement.”
“The party has forgotten the principles of nationalism and secularism. Such politics is very unfortunate and dangerous to the unity, integrity and secular fabric of India. Congress is disturbing the peaceful environment of both Assam and Kashmir,” he said.
Referring to the FIR filed by state Congress accusing him “for a remark on social media with an intention to create religious tension between two communities of Assam through a misleading statement and false Facebook post”, Sarma said that the act by the party only “shows that the Congress is even more communal than Ajmal.”