The hustle and bustle of Assam’s Cachar district Congress party for the past few days was evident.
Why shouldn’t they be – for after a long hiatus a party leader of the stature of All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) general secretary, and in-charge of Assam, Harish Rawat, was in town.
Landing at Silchar’s airport on Monday last, the district Congress committee arranged for a citizens’ meet on that evening itself, followed by a mammoth party workers meet on Tuesday at Silchar’s Rajiv Bhavan.
The leaders of this district led by All India Mahila Congress president, Sushmita Dev, who also happens to be a member of Parliament from Silchar was scathing in her remarks and didn’t stop from vilifying the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for this misrule, both at the State as well as at the Centre.
Citing the state of affairs of various issues in Assam alone, she said, the time has come for her party workers to stand up and overthrow this government.
Harish Rawat too in his remarks pepping his party workers informed that they should fight it hard to overthrow BJP and its allies during the forthcoming panchayat elections and likewise in Lok Sabha polls.
Later talking to the waiting media, he said, “The mood of the people is in favour of the Congress in 2019. Our support base has increased in the past one year. People have realized that this party is a big cheat. People too have understood that democracy and the Constitution of India are now not safe in the hands of BJP. People have realized that this government speaks of doing good but does not work to achieve that.”
He added, talking to Northeast Now, “The statements and comments by their leaders on NRC and Citizens (Amendment) Bill have now become more dramatic than being practical. BJP’s national president Amit Shah’s statement of 40 lakh people whose names have not come as ‘termites’ and Bangladeshis that needs to be pushed back, is uncalled for, and is an insult to the people of Assam.”
On the contentious issue of NRC, talking to this correspondent, Harish Rawat, said, “We too are in favour of these five documents to be included, for without these documents, the names of lakhs of people would be left out.”
Ripun Bora, APCC president, speaking to Northeast Now made it clear on the issue of Citizens (Amendment) Bill, 2016, that they (Barak as well as Brahmaputra Congress leaders and workers) are unified in granting citizenship only with the cut off mark of March 1971, and no further arguments on this matter should be dug out.