Guwahati, Jan 11: The All India Congress Committee (AICC) has slammed All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president and MP Badruddin Ajmal over the latter’s alleged defamatory and unacceptable remarks against the Congress leadership in Assam.
Speaking to a section of the media recently, Ajmal had remarked that the unlike him, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Bhupen Kumar Bora and AICC general secretary (in-charge of Assam), Jitendra Singh, “were not MPs (like Ajmal) and would require a pass for meeting top leaders in Delhi.”
The AIUDF chief had, in the wake of the current eviction undertaken by the Assam government, also blamed the previous Congress governments for the eviction drive.
“The previous Congress governments had misguided the families, by ensuring to protect them then only to make a U-turn now. They had not given land patta to the families and did nothing to resolve the matter then,” the AIUDF chief had alleged.
Countering the AIUDF chief’s remarks, Congress MP and general secretary (communications), AICC, Jairam Ramesh issued a statement on Wednesday, saying, “Badruddin Ajmal has made the most unacceptable and totally bogus remarks against the Congress leadership in Assam. These are blatantly defamatory.”
Referring to the alliance ahead of the Assam Assembly elections in 2021, Ramesh said, “It is true that the Congress and the AIUDF fought the last Assembly elections as an alliance. That decision had not been an easy one to take for the Congress. But it was taken in the belief that Ajmal will be a consistent and reliable partner and who would strengthen secular forces in the state and in the country.”
“After the election results it became very clear that Ajmal had worked out an understanding with the chief minister of Assam. The two worked out a relationship between themselves with the sole purpose of maligning and defaming the Congress and its leadership,” the AICC leader alleged.
On the other hand, Ramesh also remarked that Ajmal had made the allegation as “he was shaken by the success of Congress’ Bharat Jodo Yatra”.
“Shaken by the extraordinary success of Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra as well as that of the Bharat Jodo Yatra-Assam, the chief minister of Assam and Ajmal have mounted this latest attack,” the Congress leader said.
“Ajmal is nothing but a mouthpiece for the BIP like some other parties like the AIMIN. He has nothing whatsoever to do with the UPA as he claims,” Ramesh said.
However, the Assam chief minister when asked about the allegation, only said that he was “not interested in what the Congress or AIUDF is alleging.”