GUWAHATI, April 5 - Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Anjan Dutta today said that the Congress would prefer sitting in the Opposition than allying with the Bodoland People�s Front (BPF) or the All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF).���
�No matter what, we are not going to form an alliance with either AIUDF or the BPF,� Dutta said.
Talking to mediapersons, Dutta, however, exuded confidence of bagging 70-plus seats and forming the Government on its own.
Lashing out at AIUDF chief Badruddin Ajmal and BPF chief Hagrama Mohilary, Dutta said that both the parties�will fare poorly in the election as they had tried to gain political mileage out of the recent incident of ethnic violence in the BTAD areas.
Dutta said the AIUDF may draw blank in the first phase of polls which took place yesterday across 65 constituencies.
�At the most, they can secure one seat and not more than that,� he claimed.
He said that the Congress is dedicated to the overall development of the BTAD, including all tribes and communities. He alleged that Hagrama is responsible for the deplorable plight of the people in the areas, especially the non-Bodo population.
A total misrule and financial mismanagement is taking place in BTAD, he said. Dutta also slammed Ajmal for allegedly misusing funds collected in the name of rehabilitation of the victims of ethnic violence.
He is misleading the minority community for his vested interests, Dutta said.
Replying to a question, the APCC chief opined that�people will vote against the BJP as�the latter had betrayed people of the State, especially the youth by its hollow promises.�
It is the youth which has voted in large numbers in favour of the Congress. �Even the BJP�s chief ministerial candidate will lose from Majuli,� he asserted.
Criticising a section of poll pundits, Dutta claimed that �they can be hired to speak for or against anyone. Will they seek public apology if their assessment turns out to be wrong, he questioned.
