GUWAHATI: Assam minister and senior BJP leader, Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday reiterated that the alliance between BJP and the Hagrama Mohilary-led Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) in the state would end with the completion of the first term of the coalition government in 2021.
Speaking to reporters, Sarma said that the commitment regarding the alliance with BPF was for five years and not a day beyond the five-year term.
“We would like to make it clear that the alliance with BPF will end with the completion of our term in the government next year. We are confident of contesting the 12 Assembly seats in BTR alone,” the minister said during the manifesto release function in Kokrajhar on Friday.
It may be mentioned that a delegation comprising Assam chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal, minister Sarma and state BJP president, Ranjeet Kumar Dass, had met the party high command in New Delhi recently and discussed the party’s strategy for the BTC and Assembly elections.
“In the past five years, funds to the tune of Rs 15,630 crore was allotted to BTC, of which, around Rs 5000 crore was spent in paying salaries. So about Rs 10,000 crore was meant for the development of the areas under the council. However, the ruling BPF neither utilised the money for development nor has it given an audit report,” Sarma said.
The saffron party, which is contesting 27 seats in the two-phase BTC elections next month, has over the past few weeks, stepped up its poll campaign against principal rival BPF, which has been in power since the council’s inception in 2003.
“We are confident of bagging 22 out of the 27 seats that the party is contesting in BTC. Don’t be surprised if we bag all of them,” he said.
Both Sarma and Mohilary have been engaged in a war of words and one-upmanship during the campaigns in BTC.
BPF, which currently holds 20 seats out of 40 in the council, is contesting in 37 seats this time.