GUWAHATI, Nov 15: Former Mahajot allies and Opposition parties, All India United Democratic Front and Congress, are currently engaging in a war of words, with the Badruddin Ajmal-led party slamming the grand old party for blaming the AIUDF for its election “debacles” in Assam.
In a statement issued here on Monday, AIUDF general secretary and spokesperson, Hafiz Rafikul Islam stated that the “Congress party is currently suffering from an identity crisis and that it does not need to worry about the AIUDF.”
“It is unfortunate that the Congress has still not realised why the people of Assam have not voted in favour of the party. Besides, the party has blamed AIUDF for the series of debacles in the polls, which has only made it a laughing stock,” Islam claimed.
AIUDF’s riposte came in the wake of Assam PCC chief, Bhupen Kumar Borah stating before the media that the Ajmal-led party “has now become irrelevant in Assam politics”.
It may be mentioned that both the Opposition parties failed to make a mark in the October 30 by-polls, drawing a blank in the elections.
While the AIUDF could not pose a challenge to the ruling party in the by-poll at Bhabanipur, a constituency where the minority voters had in three earlier terms voted in favour of the Ajmal-led party, the Congress candidates in Mariani and Thowra LACs failed to impress and were routed by the ruling BJP.
“That the Congress has lost the people’s support was evident from the results of the recent by-polls to five Assam constituencies when it suffered a massive defeat and failed to win a single seat. In contrast, AIUDF had contested only from two seats,” the AIUDF spokesperson pointed out.
He further said that the Congress has also lost its ground in Upper Assam having secured a negligible portion of votes in the polls.