Guwahati: The connection between the All India United Democratic Entrance (AIUDF) and the Congress, as soon as allies in Assam, has worsened prior to now two years, turning them into bitter rivals.
The Congress has accused the AIUDF of being a “mouthpiece for the BJP” — a day after AIUDF president and MP Badruddin Ajmal alleged that Congress leaders have been hand-in-glove with Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, accepting cash from him for anti-party actions.
At a press briefing in Assam’s Dhubri district Tuesday, Ajmal had stated, “We’ve little interest in aligning with the state Congress, nevertheless it has at all times been a part of the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). Our future selections might be made with the Central UPA, not with Congressmen right here.”
Ajmal’s tirade towards the Congress has morphed into direct assaults at its management. The fragrance baron alleged that APCC president Bhupen Kumar Bora and All India Congress Committee (AICC) common secretary (in-charge of Assam) Jitendra Singh “would require passes for assembly prime Congress leaders in Delhi”.
“They aren’t politicians, however solely targeted on minting cash to unload the Congress. They accumulate luggage of cash from the chief minister,” he claimed Tuesday.
The Congress Wednesday condemned Ajmal’s remarks, with get together MP and AICC common secretary (communications) Jairam Ramesh issuing an announcement: “Ajmal is nothing however a mouthpiece for the BJP like another events just like the AIMIM. He has nothing in any respect to do with the UPA as he claims.”
In his assertion, Ramesh stated Ajmal’s remarks towards the Congress management in Assam are “blatantly defamatory, most unacceptable and completely bogus”.
Senior Congress spokesperson in Assam, Bobbeeta Sharma, stated, “He (Ajmal) is the primary agent of BJP, and we should always by no means ever have an alliance with him anymore at nationwide stage. Within the state, we already broke our alliance and I feel it’s good riddance to unhealthy garbage.”
Chatting with ThePrint, BJP legislator from Mariani constituency, Rupjyoti Kurmi stated the acrimony between the 2 events may have benefitted his get together even within the Presidential elections the place BJP-led NDA’s Droupadi Murmu gained.
“If we observe the presidential election, you will note that the variety of votes from the BJP, the AGP (Asom Gana Parishad), the BPF (Bodoland Folks’s Entrance) and the UPPL (United Folks’s Celebration Liberal) weren’t solely intact, but additionally exceeded. Absolutely, the additional votes have been from the Opposition, and the 2 main (opposition) events are the Congress and the AIUDF,” he stated.
He added: “There’s no level in hiding something — Ajmal is blaming others, however his get together members should have additionally voted in favour of the BJP. And why would he enable somebody to do this, if not fulfilling enterprise pursuits?”
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Rewind to 2020
The Congress maintained its distance from the AIUDF until former state unit president and three-time CM Tarun Gogoi was on the helm, however Ajmal typically pledged an undivided help for the Congress throughout elections, together with the December 2020 Bodoland Territorial Council (BTC) polls.
In March 2020, the Rajya Sabha election noticed Gogoi and Ajmal publicly name time on their feud and announce that the alliance may transcend the 2021 meeting polls. The 2 leaders have been all smiles as they walked hand-in-hand out of the meeting after submitting the nomination papers of their frequent candidate Ajit Bhuyan.
Forward of the 2021 Assam meeting polls, Congress introduced the ‘Mahajot’, a grand alliance of 10 events. The ‘Mahajot’ had six events when it was formally introduced on 19 January 2021. These have been: The Congress, the AIUDF, the Communist Celebration of India, CPI (Marxist), the CPI (Marxist-Leninist), and the Anchalik Gana Morcha (AGM). 4 others — former BJP ally BPF, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), and two native events — joined later. Of the allies, solely the Congress, AIUDF, BPF, and CPI(M) gained 50 seats (Congress: 29, AIUDF: 16, BPF: 4, CPIM: 1) within the meeting elections.
In August 2021, nevertheless, following a core committee assembly, the Congress broke its alliance with the AIUDF. Accusing the AIUDF of “steady and mysterious reward” for the BJP, Assam PCC introduced their resolution of severing ties with the get together.
The cost towards the AIUDF stemmed from Ajmal’s brother and get together MLA Sirajuddin Ajmal’s reward for Sarma for his work. It was solely the BJP that gained from the Congress-AIUDF alliance when the state noticed intense polarisation.
In January 2022, the BPF, as soon as an ally that fell out with the BJP after the BTC election, returned to its fold as its associate within the state meeting, having flooring coordination with allies. The parting of how between the BJP and the BPF had adopted months of pressure after the latter rejected the third Bodo Accord signed in January 2020. The accord was signed by the central and the Assam governments with the 4 factions of rebel group Nationwide Democratic Entrance of Bodoland (NDFB) and the All Bodo College students Union (ABSU) to finish Bodo insurgency and convey peace and growth to the area.
Resentment inside Congress
Some senior Central and state Congress leaders had reservations about allying with the AIUDF within the first place however the get together excessive command had the final phrase. Whereas the AIUDF grew to become part of the Congress-led Grand Alliance, what was born out of a necessity didn’t final lengthy.
There was unstated resentment inside the Congress. The transfer noticed defection of Congress leaders reminiscent of Rupjyoti Kurmi, a robust tea tribes chief. Kurmi resigned in June 2021 and joined the BJP. The tea tribe belt that was a robust Congress votebank now rests with the BJP.
The Congress was by no means comfy with Ajmal’s rise in Assam politics because it undermined its hitherto undisputed Muslim votebank — there are six to eight Lok Sabha seats in Assam the place minority votes are a deciding issue. In Nagaon, Mangaldai (Darrang), Karimganj, Barpeta and Dhubri districts, Muslims are a majority. Regardless of his affect over the voters waning through the years, Ajmal nonetheless appears to affect a large proportion of Muslim voters in Assam.
It’s the AIUDF’s focus solely on Muslims that additionally didn’t sit properly with the state unit of the Congress. State chief Bobeeta Sharma claimed that the AIUDF ran awful campaigns in the course of the 2021 meeting elections and its leaders made controversial statements (that have been) detrimental for the Congress.
“Ajmal’s son, in one of many election campaigns, stated that the state will now have a ‘Daari-Tupi Sarkaar’ (Beard-skull caps authorities). They have been doing every thing (which was) not proper for our picture. Not like the AIUDF that focuses solely on minorities, we cater to all residents. We tolerated the AIUDF as a result of we thought they’d good intentions, given their long term with the UPA, in preventing a standard rival,” she stated.
Blame recreation nonetheless on
Ajmal additionally blamed the earlier Congress regime in Assam for failing to guard the pursuits of the indigenous folks and going again on its promise to supply households with land pattas. He was talking towards this week’s drive launched by the state authorities to evict encroachers from the Pava Reserve Forest forest land in Assam’s Lakhimpur district.
Congress’s Sharma was fast to retort. “Ajmal has a secret pact with the BJP that’s utilizing him to assault the Congress in some ways. He has enterprise pursuits too, and their relationship is now not a secret. Ajmal’s activity is to create a political upheaval to divert consideration from actual points. He’s blaming the Congress in the present day for the eviction,” she added.
“It’s true that the Congress and the AIUDF fought the final meeting elections as allies. That call had not been a straightforward one to take for the Congress. Nevertheless it was taken within the perception that Shri Ajmal might be a constant and dependable associate and who would strengthen secular forces within the state and within the nation,” learn the AICC assertion issued by Ramesh.
“After the election outcomes, it grew to become very clear that Ajmal had labored out an understanding with the chief minister of Assam. The 2 labored out a relationship between themselves with the only function of maligning and defaming the Congress and its management,” it additional saud.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
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