GUWAHATI, March 24 - Opposition Congress has claimed that the ruling BJP has been forced to drop many sitting MPs and field new faces for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections on account of massive anti-incumbency.
�The performance of the BJP Lok Sabha MPs from Assam during the past five years was not at all up to the mark. Many of the BJP parliamentarians failed to properly utilise their share of funds sanctioned under the Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS). They mostly remained mum inside Parliament,� said Apurba Bhattacharya, general secretary and spokesperson of the Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).
�Secondly, the BJP, as a party, is fast losing the support of the masses across the country. Taking all these factors into account, there was no other option for the ruling party except to field new candidates with the hope of salvaging whatever it could,� he added.
The ruling BJP has denied tickets to five out of its seven sitting MPs in Assam.
Bhattacharya accused the Narendra Modi government of trying to undermine the autonomy of various institutions during its term in office. �The BJP not only failed to fulfil the aspirations of the masses but they also tried to divert the attention of the people by means of divisive politics. The performance of the NDA regime during the past five years clearly demonstrates the autocratic attitude of the incumbent government. There were serious attacks on autonomy of institutions, including the judiciary,� he said.
�Narendra Modi has turned out to be the first Prime Minister of this country who did not dare to address even a single media conference. He only kept repeating his own �mann ki baat�. But Modi never bothered to listen to what the people of this country want,� Bhattacharya said.
He exuded confidence that the Congress party will perform well in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls. �We are confident that under the leadership of Rahul Gandhi, the Congress party will perform well this time. We will win more seats than the BJP in Assam, as well as in India as a whole,� the APCC leader said.
He claimed that there is no dissatisfaction in the Congress party over selection of Lok Sabha poll candidates in Assam. �We go by a system. This time our party�s high command and Rahul Gandhi gave maximum autonomy and liberty to our State leadership in selection of candidates. As such, there is no hue and cry because the views of the Congress workers have been taken into account during selection of our nominees,� he said.
�Besides, we were able to release the names of our candidates for the first two phases of the elections much ahead of the BJP. That proves that our party is united and confident, unlike the BJP which is in a state of disarray,� Bhattacharya added.
The Congress has so far announced its candidates for 10 out of the 14 Lok Sabha constituencies of Assam. Its nominees for the remaining four seats are expected to be finalised on March 25 or March 26.
The party had won from only three constituencies in Assam in the last general elections held in 2014. This time the party is targeting to capture at least 11 seats in the State.
