- When Will the Congress, Which Gifted Calamity to Assam, Apologize to the Assamese People?: Kishore Upadhyay

Guwahati, 16 July (HS): Today in New Delhi, BJP leader and Union Minister Pabitra Margherita, reacting to Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge’s Assam visit during a press conference, said, “People of Assam and India are known for their hospitality. If Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge have come to visit Maa Kamakhya, Maa Bagala, or the Satras and Namghars, or to enjoy the scenic Kaziranga or Manas National Park, we welcome them warmly. But if they have come to preach peace, development or progress in Assam, we are not ready to listen.”

He further recalled how Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge had insulted smaller states after the party’s humiliating defeat in Tripura and Nagaland elections. He also accused Kharge of mocking the pride of Assam- Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, calling him just an “ordinary singer.”

“How can we expect respect for Assam and the Northeast from such individuals?” the Minister asked. He invited Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge to visit the site near Nellie, where BJP is setting up a semiconductor project, a region historically stained by Congress-era massacres.

“Congress must apologize for the brutal killing of 855 Assamese youth during the Assam Agitation,” Margherita said, and continued, “If Rahul Gandhi and Kharge have come to see how under BJP rule:

Railway connectivity and road infrastructure have doubled, Number of bridges over Brahmaputra has tripled, Every district has a medical college,1.5 lakh government jobs were created, ’Orunodoi’ has empowered women.

No innocent person has killed due to insurgency, Rhino poaching has been controlled,– then we will welcome them with all sincerity. But we expect nothing from a party like the Congress.”

Kishore Kumar Upadhyay, Chief Spokesperson of Assam Pradesh BJP said, while addressing the media at the state BJP headquarters in Bhashishta Chariali , “Leaders like Mallikarjun Kharge and Rahul Gandhi have no genuine respect or sincerity for Assam or the Northeast. They visit only as political tourists every few years. Shockingly, the Assam Congress President referred to them as ‘great leaders’. We ask – what makes them great? Their speeches, writings, and political priorities have nothing to do with Assam or the Northeast.”

He pointed out how Bhupen Hazarika, a cultural icon of Assam, was mocked by Congress during his Bharat Ratna honour. “How can a party that insulted Bhupen Hazarika be considered a friend of Assamese people?”

Upadhyay further added, “The Congress, instead of fighting for the Assamese people, has fought against them for 70–75 years. In the name of appeasement of religious minorities, Congress has always worked against the indigenous people.

Despite ruling for over 70 years, Congress couldn’t even provide land rights (pattas) to indigenous Assamese. Today they talk about giving pattas- it’s a mockery. Under Congress leadership, over 15,000 bighas of land belonging to Satras (monastic institutions) were encroached upon by illegal Bangladeshi Muslims.”

He exposed the Congress’s dangerous design of demographic change, From Dhubri to Lakhimpur to Uriamghat in Golaghat, constituency after constituency is falling into the hands of illegal Bangladeshi settlers.

In 2001, the number of Bengali-speaking Muslim MLAs in Assam was 21; by 2021, it increased to 31.

“This shows how, due to Congress’s plan, Assam’s language, culture, land, community, and political rights are heading towards extinction. During Congress rule, a shocking 63,58,779 bighas of land were under encroachment.”

He reminded how young Satradhikar Devendranath Goswami of Adi Elengi Satra was brutally murdered in broad daylight by illegal Bangladeshi Muslims who mutilated his body.

“After gifting such disasters to Assam, when will the Congress party apologize to the people of Assam?” he asked. ---------

Hindusthan Samachar / Sriprakash