GUWAHATI, July 27 - As part of its nationwide �Save Democracy, Save Constitution� protests, the Congress party today organized a demonstration in the city.
The event, held at the Guwahati Club TC Point, was attended by former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee president Ripun Bora, former minister Rakibul Hussain, Mahila Congress State unit president Nandita Das and other senior party leaders.
Today�s nationwide agitation was held by the principal opposition party against what it termed as the BJP�s attempt to subvert the Constitution and the alleged bid to topple the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government in Rajasthan.
The protesters shouted slogans against the Narendra Modi-led NDA regime.
Speaking to reporters at the protest site, Bora accused the BJP of trying to subvert the Constitution.
�In recent years the BJP has used unfair means to topple democratically elected governments in various states. The BJP did that in Uttarakhand, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Goa, Karnataka and Madhya Pradesh. It resorted to horse-trading and entered into conspiracy to remove elected governments of the Congress in many states. And now they are attempting the same in Rajasthan. Congress has its government in Rajasthan and it is the best performing state government in all of India. BJP is now resorting to horse-trading to dislodge our government from power in Rajasthan,� said Bora.
He added, �And the Governor of Rajasthan has misused his position. Despite Chief Minister Gehlot seeking a session of the Rajasthan Assembly, the Governor refused to summon the House by misusing his constitutional authority... By his actions, the Governor is indirectly facilitating horse-trading.�
Asked if holding such a protest is prudent during the time of pandemic, Bora said, �Police have asked us to maintain social distancing. But, why have they failed to give the same advice to the Chief Minister? Is it some sort of an Emergency situation? Why should there be one rule for the opposition and another for the ruling party? Why have the police failed to enforce social distancing by the BJP ministers? Before coming to tell us about the necessity of maintaining social distancing, the Assam Police should first go and teach that to the Chief Minister, the Health Minister, other ministers, and BJP leaders and workers.�
Bora alleged that freedom of speech in under threat in Assam. �Freedom of speech is under threat under this regime. These days nobody can write anything critical against the government. If anybody does that then the concerned person is put in jail. Akhil Gogoi is under incarceration for so long now. But we want to tell Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal that people of Assam will never tolerate such kind of acts and BJP will receive a befitting response from the masses during the 2021 Assembly polls,� said the APCC president.
Gogoi, on his part, accused the BJP of adopting unethical means to topple state governments headed by the Congress. He alleged that even the independence of judiciary has come under threat in recent times.
�The Narendra Modi-led regime is hell bent on curtailing democratic rights... Modi wants to impose a one-party system in India. So what is the difference between Modi and China or between Modi and Jinnah? Today we have all come out to save the Constitution and our democracy. People of India will never allow the Modi government�s conspiracy to succeed,� Gogoi said.
