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Want secular party to win in bypoll: AIUDF

By Staff reporter

GUWAHATI, Oct 31 - The All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) today called upon the electorate of Lakhimpur Lok Sabha constituency to cast their votes in favour of �secular parties and candidates� in the forthcoming by-election to the seat.

Talking to the media, AIUDF general secretary and ex-MLA Abdur Rahim Khan said the party will not contest the bypoll on November 19. �We will not put up our candidate for the by-election to the Lakhimpur LS seat. Instead, we call upon all our supporters and voters in the constituency to cast conscience vote in favour of secular candidates and parties and against communal forces,� he said.

Asked if it means the AIUDF is indirectly asking its supporters to vote for the Congress in the bypoll, Khan said, �We do not know whom our supporters will back in the election. We have only called for conscience voting in favour of secular forces and against communal forces� We have not talked about any party.�

The AIUDF had won from the Naoboicha Assembly seat, which falls under the Lakhimpur Parliamentary constituency, in the last Assembly polls.

Khan accused the Congress of spreading false news about a reported tie-up between the AIUDF and BJP. �Even if the sun rises in the west, AIUDF will not support BJP. Even in the last Rajya Sabha polls, our party had voted for Congress candidate Ranee Narah. Congress is spreading false information,� said the AIUDF leader.

He accused the RSS and Sangh Parivar outfits of indulging in communal politics. He said the BJP government in the State has failed on every front and is attempting to divert attention of the people from real issues.

�Thousands of bighas of land in the State have been encroached upon by private companies, political leaders and officials. But only Muslims have been targeted in the name of eviction of encroachments. BJP speaks in one language in Karbi Anglong, in another language in BTAD and still another language in Barak Valley. Why are they only targeting Muslims?

�BJP said once it comes to power in the State all illegal immigrants would be deported. But now it wants to give citizenship to illegal immigrants,� Khan said. He also accused the AGP of not making its stand clear on the issue of the Citizenship (Amendment) Bill for the sake of power.

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