BJP's Assam vision document a poll gimmick: AASU, Congress

Days after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has announced that it will seal the India-Bangladesh border and act tough against illegal migrants from Bangladesh, All Assam Student Union (AASU), an influential student organisation of Assam and the Congress has termed it as a “poll gimmick.”

New Delhi Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 27 March 2016, 06:04 AM
Updated : 27 March 2016, 06:04 AM

“Before every election, political parties make such claim. But after the election they always take U-turn,” said AASU general secretary Lurin Jyoti Gogoi to bdnews24.com.

In fact, during the 2014 election campaign, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that his government would detect and deport the illegal Bangladeshis coming into Assam and other northeastern states.

Ironically, after the election, Modi did not mention the issue even for once.

Instead, his government has announced to give refugee status to the Hindu Bangladeshi migrants who entered Assam following disturbance in Bangladesh. The stand adopted by the Centre had already generated a huge controversy in the state.

“Narendra Modi had said that all the clauses of the Assam Accord would be implemented. But nothing has happened,” said AASU leader Gogoi. AASU had signed the historic Assam Accord in 1985 with the then Congress government to end the vigorous anti-foreigners movement in late 70s.

Referring to the issue of NRC update that was included in BJP’s vision document, Gogoi said that it was only due to the intervention of the Supreme Court that government has initiated the process to update the NRC.

On Friday, while releasing the Assam Vision Document 2016-2025, senior BJP leader and India’s Finance Minister Arun Jaitely has said that the India-Bangladesh border would be sealed and tough against would be taken against people employing illegal migrants, “if BJP forms the government in Assam.”

Senior Congress leader BK Hariprasad said, “It (vision document) is nothing only a poll gimmick of BJP and Narendra Modi.” 

“BJP always try to gain popularity at any means. In Assam, they first talk about Muslim, then Bangladeshi and now corruption…but our party under the leadership of Tarun Gogoi would retain power in Assam,” said Hariprasad to bdnews24.com.

Citing the developmental works being done by the Congress government in Assam, Hariprasad said that there will be no anti-incumbency factor against the Congress in Assam.

“Anti-incumbency takes place if there is no development. But during the last 15-years, development has taken place in all sectors in Assam,” said the senior AICC leader.

Following rebellion of a few Assam Congress leaders, it was anticipated that Congress is likely to face a serious anti-incumbency factor in the election.