As the political temperature rises in Assam ahead of Assembly polls, the State Congress unit has advised one of its allies, the AIDUF, not to make statements that come across as divisive.
Lok Sabha member and All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) president, Maulana Badruddin Ajmal had at a public meeting last week said that 3,500 mosques would be demolished if the BJP retained power after the 2024 parliamentary polls. He also said the BJP was trying to change the food habits of a section of Indians, which was unacceptable.
“Ajmal is trying to polarise the votes by making such communal statements. The voters in Assam are sensible and can see through such statements,” BJP spokesperson Roopam Goswami said.
Referring to Mr Ajmal’s statement, Union Home Minster Amit Shah said on January 23 that the Congress revealed its communal face by tying up with the AIUDF in Assam and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) in Kerala.
The Congress and AIUDF are the two major constituents of a pre-poll opposition alliance of six parties. The other constituents are the Communist Party of India, CPI (Marxist), CPI (Marxist-Leninist) and the Anchalik Gana Morcha led by journalist turned Rajya Sabha member Ajit Kumar Bhuyan.
The elections to the 126-member Assam Assembly are due by May.
“He (Mr Shah) should have known that the Indian Constitution has not declared either AIUDF or IUML as communal. AIUDF is not a communal party and Mr Ajmal has not made any anti-Hindu remarks unlike the BJP that incites hatred against Muslims,” State Congress president Ripun Bora said.
Mr Bora, however, said the constituents of the grand alliance have been asked not to make provocative remarks and refrain from issuing statements that may hurt the sentiments of any community.
MP and State Congress vice-president Pradyut Bordoloi said all constituents of the grand alliance will have to stick to some rules since the pre-poll partnership was based on a common minimum programme.
“We think that the AIUDF has not made any communal statements so far. But we will not tolerate any such statements in the future,” Mr. Bordoloi said.
Mr. Bhuyan also said Mr. Ajmal should refrain from any comment that could be harmful to the society.
Mr Bora, meanwhile, slammed Mr Shah for claiming to have made Assam “infiltration and flood-free”. The Union Home Minister contradicted the Centre’s own data, he said.
