Will try to make Delhi aware of difference between flood, erosion: Rakibul Hussain

By R DUTTA CHOUDHURY

GUWAHATI, June 18: Newly elected Member of Parliament Rakibul Hussain said that making people in Delhi aware of the difference between flood and erosion would be one of his major goals.

In an interview with The Assam Tribune, Hussain, who created a record by defeating Badruddin Ajmal of the AIUDF by over 10 lakh votes, also said that the Congress is ready to face the bye-elections to five constituencies as five legislators have been elected to the Parliament.

Following are the excerpts from the interview:

The Assam Tribune: You defeated a sitting MP by a margin of over 10 lakh votes, which is a record. Was going from Nagaon to contest in Dhubri a problem for you?

Hussain: Not at all. Ajmal himself is not from Dhubri.

Contesting in constituencies other than hometowns is not a problem at all. Even the Prime Minister did not contest from his home state.

AT: Do you think the AIUDF is politically finished as the chief of the party lost by a huge margin and other candidates of the party also lost badly?

Hussain: It is a fact that the voters have rejected the AIUDF. But I shall not say that the party is finished. The Chief Minister is trying his best to revive the AIUDF in some parts of the State.

AT: If the AIUDF leaders want to join the Congress what will be your stand?

Hussain: It is for the party to decide. However, I believe that the Congress should not take AIUDF legislators as they won with AIUDF symbols. But if the second-rung leaders of the party want to join the Congress, I have no issue.

AT: What will be your main thrust as an MP from Dhubri?

Hussain: The constituency has different problems. Each assembly segment has different problems. But my main thrust will be the problem of erosion. The people of Delhi do not understand the difference between flood and erosion. The people of Assam are accustomed to facing floods and life comes to normal after the flood water recedes. But the main problem is erosion as a large number of people are losing their land, homes, and everything else due to erosion. Even rich people have been rendered homeless due to erosion. I shall try to raise the issue strongly in Parliament and demand that erosion should be declared as a national problem. Apart from that, I shall try to play a strong role as an MP and raise the issues concerning Assam in Parliament.

AT: Is the Congress satisfied with the result of the Lok Sabha polls?

Hussain: Yes. We won three seats, but our vote percentage increased considerably. We have taken the lead even in the constituencies where BJP have MLAs. In the Jorhat constituency, we did well, apart from the Majuli segment. No one expected a Congress candidate to get more than one lakh votes in a constituency like Golaghat.

AT: Is the Congress ready to face the bye-elections to five constituencies as five MLAs including you, have been elected to the Lok Sabha?

Hussain: Yes. We are ready to face the elections. But you are wrong. Bye-elections should be held in more constituencies.

AT: What do you mean by that?

Hussain: A few legislators of the Congress openly campaigned for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls. We have officially complained to the Speaker and demanded their disqualification. But unfortunately, the Speaker is yet to disqualify them. If the Speaker takes action on our complaint, the bye-elections will have to be held in more constituencies.