Guwahati, July 17: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) launched a scathing attack on Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge following their visit to Assam, accusing them of political posturing and demanding an apology for past “betrayals” committed under Congress rule.
Union Minister and senior BJP leader Pabitra Margherita, addressing reporters in New Delhi, labelled the Congress leaders as “political tourists” with no genuine interest in the Northeast. “If they’ve come to Kamakhya, Bagala, or to enjoy Kaziranga and Manas, Assam welcomes them. But we don’t need lectures on peace or development from those who ignored this region for decades,” Margherita stated.
He sharply criticized Kharge for what he described as a pattern of disrespect toward the Northeast, citing past remarks after Congress’s electoral setbacks in Tripura and Nagaland. Margherita also accused the Congress president of belittling Assamese cultural icon Bharat Ratna Dr. Bhupen Hazarika, alleging that Kharge once referred to him as merely an “ordinary singer.”
Margherita further challenged the Congress leadership to visit the upcoming semiconductor project site near Nellie — a place forever marked by the 1983 massacre during the Assam Agitation. “Before speaking of development, Congress must apologise for the killing of 855 young Assamese,” he said, holding the party morally responsible for the bloodshed during its tenure.
Highlighting BJP’s achievements in contrast, he listed transformative infrastructure developments — including doubled rail and road networks, tripled Brahmaputra bridges, new medical colleges in every district, 1.5 lakh government jobs, and the women-centric Orunodoi scheme. He also pointed to a drop in both insurgency-related violence and rhino poaching as signs of progress under BJP rule.
Echoing Margherita’s sentiments, Assam BJP chief spokesperson Kishore Kumar Upadhyay dismissed the Congress visit as mere theatrics. Speaking at a press conference in Bhashishta Chariali, Upadhyay accused the Congress of historical neglect and political appeasement. He questioned the reverence shown to Gandhi and Kharge by local Congress leaders, stating, “Their words and actions reflect no concern for Assam or the Northeast.”
Upadhyay alleged that Congress’s tenure enabled large-scale demographic changes, including the encroachment of over 15,000 bighas of land belonging to Satras (Vaishnavite monasteries) by illegal Bangladeshi immigrants. He further claimed that Congress politics led to the increase of Bengali-speaking Muslim MLAs in Assam from 21 in 2001 to 31 in 2021 — a shift he attributed to “appeasement tactics.”
He also referenced the 2012 murder of young Satradhikar Devendranath Goswami, allegedly by illegal immigrants, asking when the Congress party would offer accountability or remorse. “From Dhubri to Lakhimpur, Congress has left wounds that still bleed. An apology is long overdue,” Upadhyay said.
