GUWAHATI, May 20 - Holding the rout suffered by it as a collective failure of the entire party and its functionaries, the Congress party today alleged that the BJP-led alliance won the elections on the back of a massive false propaganda campaign which sought to exploit the sentiments of the people of Assam.
�It is a humiliating defeat for us. The Congress party accepts the verdict of the people of the State,� Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) vice-president Ripun Bora said at a press conference here today.
�It is a collective failure from leaders to grass-root workers. All are responsible for this,� Bora added.
The APCC leader said that �the root cause of our defeat was the false propaganda� of BJP and its alliance partners. �They created an atmosphere that the identity of Assamese people and Hindus are at stake and campaigned in that manner. This polarized people in favour of the BJP,� Bora said, who is also a Rajya Sabha member.
�Secondly, the BJP made false promises of giving jobs to lakhs of youths� Now we will monitor very carefully how the new BJP acts on the dreams of porivartan, how regularly they are able to pay salaries of employees, how many jobs they are able to create for the youths who were misled by their false propaganda, how they implement their so-called Vision Document and how much ananda can Sarbananda bring to the people of Assam.�
Even though the Congress government achieved a lot during its decade and half in office, the party was not able to carry the message to the masses, he said.
Bora also appreciated the leadership provided by Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi during this period.
�We will act as a responsible Opposition party. In the days to come Congress will introspect, review and rectify the defects and go back to the people with renewed vigour,� he said.
Bora said the BJP came to power in New Delhi in 2014 on the back of false promises, like depositing Rs 15 lakh in the bank account of every citizen. �Now nobody believes in Modi and his promises. The same will happen to the BJP in Assam in future,� he said, adding that the RSS played a major role behind the success of BJP.
Regarding Congress� decision to give party tickets to certain candidates against whom there were various charges, Bora said that this time people were swayed by BJP�s porivartan slogan and did not look at candidates.
Bora claimed Congress� vote share has increased since 2014. �In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Congress had a vote share of 29.6 per cent. This time it stood at 31.1 per cent. On the other hand, the BJP�s vote share declined to 29.4 per cent from 36.5 per cent,� Bora added.
When pointed out that BJP had contested less number of seats as compared to the Congress in the Assembly polls, Bora said, �We never stopped the BJP from contesting in more constituencies.�
He added, �We will now prepare for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and form the Government at the Centre under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.�
