Assam BJP hits back at Baghel, cites his 'corrupt' tenure in C'garh

Assam BJP slammed Congress leader Bhupesh Baghel's advice to CM Himanta Biswa Sarma as "laughable". The party cited Baghel's tenure as Chhattisgarh CM, which it called a legacy of corruption, including various alleged scams, as the reason for his loss.

Mocking as “laughable” the political advice offered by Congress leader and AICC General Secretary Bhupesh Baghel to Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to focus on the issues of floods and rising prices in the state, the Assam Pradesh BJP took a jibe at the former Chief Minister of Chhattisgarh, slamming his tenure as one flawed with a legacy of corruption and misgovernance.

BJP Slams Baghel's 'Legacy of Corruption' in Chhattisgarh

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters today, Assam State BJP spokesperson Brojen Mahanta said that "Baghel, a leader of the Congress party that suffered a decisive electoral defeat in the 2023 Chhattisgarh Assembly elections, was in no position to lecture the BJP on governance."

Mahanta stated that the people of Chhattisgarh had rejected the Congress government in 2023 and brought the BJP to power after allegations and controversies surrounding the then Baghel-led administration, including an alleged liquor scam of approximately Rs 3,000 crore, an alleged parallel excise syndicate operating between 2019 and 2022, the Mahadev betting app case and allegations relating to protection money, an alleged coal levy racket involving approximately Rs 500 crore, allegations of nepotism and irregularities in the 2021 recruitment process of the Chhattisgarh Public Service Commission, and alleged irregularities relating to custom billing, among other matters.

He pointed out that the Congress had secured 68 seats and formed the government in Chhattisgarh in 2018, but was subsequently voted out of office in 2023, with the BJP returning to power in the state.

BJP Counters 'Anti-Democratic' Jab with Emergency Jibe

Responding to Baghel’s remarks at a press conference yesterday that the people of India had now begun to understand the BJP’s alleged “anti-democratic” activities, Mahanta said that the country had not forgotten how democracy was “trampled underfoot” during the Emergency declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975. He further recalled that several prominent political leaders in Assam, including former Chief Minister Golap Borbora and Dulal Baruah, were arrested during that period. Leaders such as Baghel, he said, ought to be aware of this history before making allegations concerning democracy.

Congress Accused of 'Vote-Bank Politics' on Indigenous Rights

Challenging Baghel on the issue of defining the indigenous people of Assam, the BJP spokesperson said that the Congress had no credibility to shed “crocodile tears” over the rights of Assam’s indigenous population. He alleged that, driven by electoral vote-bank considerations, the Congress had provided political patronage and preferential treatment to people who had illegally entered Assam from Bangladesh. “The conscious people of Assam have not forgotten how the Congress, for the sake of its vote-bank politics, sought to provide political protection and privileges to those who had illegally entered Assam from Bangladesh,” Mahanta said.

The press conference was also attended by BJP spokespersons Pranjal Kalita and media panellist Amal Narayan Patowary. (ANI)

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