Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has a “secret understanding” with All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) chief Badruddin Ajmal to defeat the grand old party, Congress general secretary (organisation) Priyanka Gandhi Vadra alleged on Wednesday.
Seeking support for the Congress candidate, Rakibul Hussain, Ms. Vadra addressed an election rally at Balajan in Dhubri district, where she claimed that “mafia raj” prevails in Assam and that the Chief Minister was “involved in multiple scams”.
“BJP and AIUDF have taken local politics to a different direction. Both parties have a secret understanding. The Assam CM, in an interview, said that Badruddin wanted him to be the CM from his heart,” Ms. Vadra said.
The Congress leader claimed that Mr. Ajmal, a three-term MP from Dhubri, was a businessman who preferred to go with the ruling party.
“Both PM Narendra Modi and Himanta are running governments for the billionaires. Modi, Himanta, Badruddin Ajmal — all are the same. They want elections to be fought on any issue other than people’s issues,” Ms. Vadra added.
The Congress leader also raised the allegations of sexual abuse against Karnataka MP Prajwal Revanna, and said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had sought votes for him and had not stopped him from leaving the country.
Raising the issue of women’s safety, the Congress leader said that the PM had been silent when the wife of an Army veteran was paraded naked in Manipur, and medal-winning sportswomen alleged sexual abuse by a BJP leader.
“He talks about women’s safety, but what is happening in Karnataka? Thousands of videos emerged of a candidate who is the BJP’s partner. The PM shared the dais with the Karnataka sex scandal accused. Later, he fled from India but Modi and Amit Shah didn’t stop him,” she alleged.
Ms. Vadra also said that the Congress fully supported the Scheduled Tribe (ST) status demand by the Koch-Rajbongshi community, and that is why the caste census would be carried out, so that deprived communities could be given the opportunities due to them.
After a rousing welcome, Ms. Vadra led an impromptu roadshow, coming out of the sunroof of her sports utility vehicle to wave at the impressive crowd that had gathered at the venue.
Published - May 01, 2024 11:29 pm IST
