‘Majority’, ‘Minority’ terms Congress’ tools of division, says state BJP chief

Hailakandi, April 20: Assam BJP President Dilip Saikia, addressing an election rally in Kalacherra on Sunday for the upcoming Panchayat polls, took a strong stance against the Congress, accusing the party of using "majority" and "minority" terms to divide communities.

During his address, Saikia said, “Let us not use the terms ‘minority’ and ‘majority’ for the people of the villages. These are words used by the Congress.”

He criticised the Congress for its alleged history of appeasing the minority community for electoral gains.

“The Congress has always used the minority people as vote banks and played the politics of appeasement,” Saikia added.

He further accused the Grand Old Party of exploiting and depriving the minority communities, claiming no other political party in India had done so to the same extent.

Saikia condemned the Congress for its alleged self-serving nature, saying, “The Congress is only out to fill its pockets and has always left the people to die or fend for themselves. This is something that has been practiced by the party for the past 50-55 years.”

Urging voters to support development, Saikia said, “I hope that the minority community will unite against their exploitation and vote for development, which the NDA stands for.”

He also highlighted the BJP’s push for women’s representation in the upcoming elections, revealing that 179 of the 327 BJP candidates for the Zila Parishad elections are women. “The BJP has fought in 327 Zila Parishads, and among them, 179 candidates are women,” Saikia said.

As part of his rally speech, Saikia also called on voters to exercise their right to vote, highlighting the importance of participation in the electoral process.

Meanwhile, the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) has already made a significant head start in the Panchayat elections, securing 288 Anchalik Panchayat (AP) and 37 Zila Parishad (ZP) seats uncontested.

The NDA has clinched 288 out of 2,192 Anchalik Panchayat seats, with 259 by the BJP and 29 by its ally, AGP.

This accounts for over 13% of the total AP seats. In the Zila Parishad category, the alliance has won 37 out of 397 seats, with 35 by the BJP and 2 by AGP, which constitutes over 9% of the total ZP seats.

Meanwhile, Saikia has issued show-cause notices to five party members from Hailakandi district for anti-party activities. The notices, issued by MLA and party general secretary Diplu Ranjan Sarma, were served to individuals who contested against official BJP candidates in the upcoming panchayat polls.

The members who received the notices include Rupam Das (Sonacherra-Rupacherra Gaon Panchayat), Puja Singha (Manipur Gaon Panchayat), Sibu Ranjan Das (Harishnagar Gaon Panchayat), Saiba Das (Nishkar Gaon Panchayat), and Khairul Laskar (Baldabaldi-Dariarghat Gaon Panchayat).

The individuals have been asked to respond within seven days, submitting their replies to the district BJP president in Hailakandi.