GUWAHATI, March 17: Assam BJP leader and key poll strategist Himanta Biswa Sarma once again raked up the “Badruddin Ajmal card,” warning the electorate that “every vote cast in favour of the Congress-led Mahajot (Grand Alliance) would mean opening the doors of Dispur for the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief.”
Addressing a massive rally at Barhampur in Nagaon district on Wednesday, Sarma slammed the Congress for allying with AIUDF, alleging, “Congress has completely sold itself to Ajmal for the sake of coming to power.”
Sarma further said that he had watched a video of Ajmal a few days back where he insisted that women should give birth to multiple children. “So he is not concerned about the health of women but wants to become chief minister,” Sarma said.
“Ajmal claims to reopen the madrassas (that were shut by the BJP government) upon coming to power…so what he wants to have is not doctors or engineers but maulanas and maulvis (graduates of religious institutions)”, he further alleged, adding how a party (Congress) can form a government with Ajmal who has a different ideology.
Ajmal, a Lok Sabha MP (Dhubri) and a perfume baron, has maintained that he “is not in the race for becoming chief minister”.
Further attacking the AIUDF chief, Sarma said, “So if Ajmal finds a seat in the government, then it is evident that the Assamese community would not be able to hold its head high…every vote for Congress will make Ajmal’s way to Assam’s seat of power easier….”
The Assam BJP leader was in Barhampur to campaign for BJP candidate Jitu Goswami.
Barhampur, a constituency which was a stronghold of Asom Gana Parishad founder president and two-time chief minister Prafulla Mahanta, is heading for a straight fight between BJP and Congress.
Mahanta was denied a ticket to contest the poll from the seat which he represented for as many as seven terms from 1985, having served as chief minister for two terms from 1985-90 and 1996-2001.
Sarma further said that the “BJP would give more funds to setting up namghars (Vaishnavite temples) as opposed to Ajmal giving funds to reopen madrassas (institutions imparting religious education)…so what do you want namghars or madrassas.”
The Assam government had last year brought a law to convert over 700 state-run primary, upper primary, high and higher secondary madrassas into general schools.
“This election is not about who will become MLA. This election is an election to protect the Assamese community. This election is about politically ousting Ajmal,” the BJP leader said, making a scathing attack on Ajmal.
It may be mentioned that apart from Sarma, who has been leading an aggressive poll campaign, even chief minister Sarbananda Sonowal and national leaders like Amit Shah have lashed out at Ajmal during recent campaigns, while raking up the issue of influx threatening Assam’s identity, culture and civilisation if the Congress-AIUDF come to power.
It is also pertinent that in the 2016 Assembly elections, the combined vote share of Congress and AIUDF was more than the combined vote share of BJP and allies Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and Bodoland People’s Front.
Besides, Congress-AIUDF’s combined vote share was more in 14 seats which the BJP or the AGP had won.