Guwahati, Nov 5: Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Tuesday slammed the Congress for questioning the citizenship of BJP candidate for Dholai Assembly constituency, Nihar Ranjan Das, alleging that the grand old party was playing the ‘doubtful citizenship’ card for political gain.
Sarma made the remark referring to the accusation by the Assam Congress that the BJP was fielding a “Bangladeshi” as the candidate for the bypoll in Dholai LAC.
Addressing mediapersons on the sidelines of a public rally at Dholai in Barak Valley ahead of the November 13 by-polls, the chief minister asserted, while the BJP has strived to resolve the citizenship issues of Hindu Bengalis in the state, Congress was trying to rake up the issue for political mileage.
“Such attempts by the Congress will not affect Nihar Ranjan Das, as he was born and brought up in Assam, but many Hindu Bengalis will be harassed as they may get notices to prove their citizenship and appear before tribunals. So, Congress is working against Hindu Bengalis by politicising the issue,” he said.
Promising development in the constituency in Cachar district, the chief minister reiterated that the NDA alliance would bag at least four of the five seats in the upcoming by-polls in the state, including Dholai. “In Dholai, the victory margin will exceed 30,000 votes,” he said.
Notably, bypoll to Dholai (SC) Assembly constituency was necessitated by the election of its representative and currently Cachar MP, Parimal Suklabaidya to the Lok Sabha earlier this year. As many as 1,96,772 general electors are eligible to cast their vote in the bypoll to be conducted across 208 polling stations in the seat.
On the other hand, the chief minister, while campaigning for his party in Dholai, said that “with BJP-led governments in Delhi and Dispur, it would be futile to vote for the Congress.”
“On the contrary, of people vote for BJP, it will further the development trajectory of not just Dholai but of Barak Valley,”
Promising development under the double-engine governments, Sarma said that an additional 20,000 beneficiaries from Dholai would be brought under the ambit of the Orunodoi scheme.
The chief minister also assured development in sectors such as health and education, including the upgrade of healthcare centres and the establishment of a model college in Dholai to cater to higher education needs.
He further announced that the government has already sanctioned Rs 50 crore for the development of various roads in Dholai LAC.